


Sun Wukong

by Calcu22



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Reincarnation, SI/OC, also on fanfic.net, friends becoming like family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-09-27 13:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 71,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10021982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calcu22/pseuds/Calcu22
Summary: Nohara Ayame likes to think of herself as an adaptable person. Died and reborn with most of her past memories an previous mental mentality? Ok. Seems to be born back in time? Ok. Born in another world where there is magical ninjas and monsters made of out pure energy? Maybe with enough time.Another self-insert story inspired by Dreaming of Sunshine where our OC has to deal with a tailed beast named after the monkey king and Konoha's more interesting Ninjas.





	1. Starting Arc: A New Life

The end was dark. Or more like lacked light. She always thought that might be the case, never one to truly believe story of heaven or hell or afterlife in general. She never cared one way or another, wanting to pay attention to more important things. But now it was the end of her life. Quick and unexpected as it is in most cases. One moment life, and another darkness. It wasn't surprising. There was no pain, no feeling, nothing.

 

Then there was something.

 

At first, no change. Just an endless void where she seemed to float bodiless. Then she was no longer floating. Or maybe she still was, but what she was floating in changed. It was warm and moist,  different from the nothingness from before. Then she notice her body, feeling she thought were gone forever. She couldn't move, but feeling after what felt like half a lifetime with nothing made everything too much.

 

It was closing around her, everything too big, too small, and she wanted **out**. There was movements, sounds that sounded strange and hard to her sensitive ears. Then as the pain got worst, a bright light came to be.

 

She was out, but everything was cold and too much. She closed her eyes, wanting to go back when something hit her back. Hard.

 

She let out a short scream, only to stop once she notice she was now breathing.

 

_In. Out. In. Out._

 

Something so simple she wonder why she wasn't doing it before. Why she could do it now if she died.

 

"Sore wa on'nanokodesu." Came a voice that was too loud and close.

 

She tried opening her eyes, but it was still too bright.

 

"Watashi wa kanojo o mite mimashou." Another person said, this voice strangely sounded familiar and comforting.

 

Then she felt as air moved around her. She was being moved. It was then she realize her body was different. Not only was it hard to move, but it was wrong. Everything was too short, there was pressure along her back and head hold up like you would hold a baby.

 

Just as she realized that, she was moved into the arms another.

 

"Ayame. Nohara Ayame." Said the women as she tried to look at her.

 

The women, her mom she figured, was blurry. She could see light skin maybe and dark hair.

 

"Watashi no chīsana on'nanoko. Ayame." Her mom said, and she tried to figure out what she was saying.

 

It sounded a lot like Japanese, which if she was really reborn as a baby, why not in Japan? While she would have been more comfortable in a Chinese or English speaking country since she knew thoughs from her life-past life.

 

She did always liked learning new things. So maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

 

"Gya." she tried saying hi but her new mouth had other ideas.

 

"Anata ga aisatsu shimasu ka? Watashi wa anata no Okāsan-desu. Mama." Mom said and she watched something move in front of her eye.

 

A hand if she had to guess.

 

"Soshite, anata wa Ayame-desu. Ayame." Mom continued, this time cupping her face.

 

That last part sounded like a name. Which since she was just born would make sense for her new mother to name her.

 

Ayame? That sounds very Japanese, but easy to remember. She just hoped that was her name and not her mom's name, though that would be weird. Or the nurse's name.

 

All in all the newly rename Ayame thought she was taking this all really well.

 

Her mom stayed in the hospital for a few more day, from what Ayame could tell. While she did try to be considerate to her new mom, there was no way she was going to be breastfed. She didn't have any issue seeing it be done in her past life, but now that she was an adult in a baby's body? No thank you.

 

It was the only time she would cry, and once they got her on the bottle Ayame thought she was the perfect child.

 

What really surprised her was how quickly she started to understand the language. Sure she knew that younger mind can learn language very fast, but in a matter of days? That was amazing. If only her body was able to physically keep up. She couldn't do anything by herself, not even talk.

 

"Ok...Thank you... good bye" Mom said as she carried Ayame out. Or at least that was the parts of the conversation she understood.

 

By now her eyes were starting to be able to focus on things, nothing too far away, but when her Mom picked her up she could see it now. Mom was pale skinned with long wavy black hair and deep purple eyes. Mom was smiling and Ayame smiled a toothless smile back.

 

"Oh...Baby..." Mom said with a string of words that she missed.

 

She payed attention as they walked to what Ayame hoped was their home. She was yet to see or hear anything of a father, but she was never one to judge people. A single mother can still be an amazing parent, and Ayame wasn't going to make it harder for her. It was bad enough Mom need to clean up her poop and feed her.

 

* * *

 

Days passed into months and Ayame was able to do more as her body developed more.

 

"Food?" She asked as she tried walking over to Mom. It has been a work in progress and her legs felt too heavy for it, but still Ayame tried.

 

"Oh dearly, I know you don't want to stay still, but just give me a moment."

 

Ayame did not pout, but she did sit down on the floor with her arms crossed. Her mom was talking to the neighbor who had another baby.

 

"I still can't believe she's walking already. Kenji didn't even stand up until he was almost 12 months."

 

"Ayame is a smart kid. But I think all parents say that about their kids." Mom said with a laugh as they walked into the kitchen.

 

"Still, at this rate she might become one of those kids who graduate from the Konoha academy at 6."

 

"Oh, I don't think she'll go. I don't know much about how Kohona works."

 

"Wasn't your Husband a Shinobi? I heard that Nohara was a clan name."

 

"A clan with no other living members." Mom said sharply, before shaking her head.

 

"Sorry, you're right. It wasn't a bad thing he died that night, but still to think after everything some demon fox would be what does him in."

 

Ayame got back up and as quietly as she could walk over. This was the most she has ever heard about her father even though there was a few new words that she didn't understand.

 

What's a Shinobi? and Konoha? Is that where they live?

 

"I know. I was surprise as well. I know you were worried about have a child alone, but you are doing a great job. And we are all here to help."

 

"Thank Yuki. What would I do without you."

 

Ayame stayed outside of the doorway leaning against the wall. She didn't know what she felt about knowing her dad in this life died. She never met him or knew him. And a demon fox? Ayame wasn't sure she heard that correctly.

 

"Oh Ayame, here's your food." Mom said as she handed over the bottle.

 

* * *

 

Months passed into years and Ayame learned more and more about her new world. The first thing was that Shinobi was a ninja. Yep, that's right. Ayame found herself in some weird alternate reality were ninja and technology existed. Thoughts of a old show she watched in her past life came to give her a good laugh.

 

Mom taught her to read and soon went back to work. She was a cook, and a really good one from all the people that would gather in front of the restaurant. This was the time Ayame got the most free time. Sure Yuki the neighbor normally watcher her, but with a kid of her own Ayame was able to slipped away easily.

 

Not like there was a lot of places were a four year old could go without too many people questioning it, but outside of their small village there was no one.

 

The forest were thick and streams of light made it look fanatical. Ayame walked with a large smile on her face. The sounds of the forest always put her to peace, and this life time was no different. Though Ayame wasn't having a bad second life, it was boring. She has read all the book her Mom had, and what Yuki had, and none of them had anything interesting. In her past life Ayame lived in the city, and while she loves the outdoors, there just wasn't much to do.

 

Picking up a fallen stick, Ayame drew on the ground. Meaningless symbols that ended up being a trail as she walked deeper into the forest. Ayame keep an eye on the sun to keep track of the time, but focused on climbing trees and seeing what kinds of animals she could find.

 

Just as Ayame jumped down and thought to head back, she heard screaming. Lots of it coming from where she just left from.

 

As fast as her short legs would carry her, Ayame ran. As the forest thinned out the smell of smoke hit her.

 

_Fire. A big one._ Ayame thought as her eyes widen.

 

She slowed down as she saw the empty town. There was no one in the streets and no signs of fire. With both hand clutching the stick, Ayame walked, keeping her ears and eyes open.

 

There was a bad feeling in the air, like when you knew something bad happened here.

 

Ayame was about to think it was her overactive imagination when she saw blood.

 

_Shit. No. Nononono_

 

She ran down the street to see a older man who was heavily bleeding kill a masked one.

 

"Is...there any more?" the man asked as he fell to one knee.

 

Ayame looked to see villagers hiding, before they all ran. But Ayame didn't care about them.

 

"MOM!" Ayame cried, looking all over.

 

Her eyes caught with the man, who looked over to a body. Of a woman with black hair.

 

"No. No, wake up. Mom, Moooom!" Ayame cried as she leaned over the body, not even caring the man watched as he fell to the ground.

 

"Sorry kid, seems I...wasn't fast enough."

 

Ayame thought of getting mad at him, but it didn't sound like it was his fault.

 

"...Are you a ninja?"

 

"Yes, but not from here. Even if I don't bleed out the leaf nin are going to blame me."

 

_leaf nin?_ Ayame wondered, but put it away for later. She needed to know what happen.

 

"Was it him? Did he..." Ayame said not even bothering to explain.

 

"He was a missing nin trying to steal the cook- your mom- food. She made a good show that type of behaviors wasn't accepted here and he got mad." He said slowly, his breathing louder then his voice now.

 

Just as Ayame wondered if she should do something for the man, more people came.

 

It was a group of three, and Ayame panicked when she noticed one of them look familiar. Really familiar.

 

"Rock ninja. Why am I not surprised." A tall woman said as she walked over to the man.

 

"Oh, I see I get to see a lovely before I die. But I think we are going to make a much bigger problem soon." the man said with a smile willed with blood.

 

"Is that a threat."

 

"That's Rōshi. The Jinchūriki of the four tails. From the Iwagakure Bingo book." Said the man who was so familiar to Ayame.

 

"Did you cause this? You monster!"

 

"Now, now, before you start yelling in front of the little girl who just lost her mom, maybe you should deal with the dead missing nin? The one started a killing spree before I stepped in." The man -Rōshi- said as he coughed up some blood.

 

"Aren't you going to help him?" Ayame asked, as all heads turned to her.

 

"Shiko, deal with the body. Rōshi will you make it to Kohona?"

 

"Ha, considering I'm currently holding my own guts, I highly doubt it. I would leave right now and die in peace if it wasn't for the fact that once I die a demon will have complete free rein of the place."

 

"Then we need to seal it. Do you know how?"

 

"Yes, but it might be a problem to find someone of the right bloodline. Or young enough that their body will adapt to it."

 

Then the woman turned to Ayame.

 

"What's your name kid?"

 

"A-Ayame. Nohara Ayame."

 

There was a sharp inhale from the masked man that Ayame made a point not too look at. Tailed beast, ninja who wear leaf symbols, and a man with his whole face but one eye and his silver hair? Ayame was not liking what that all could mean.

 

"Hatake? What's wrong."

 

"Nothing." He said, though it sounded like he wanted to say more.

 

"Would she do?" the woman asked the man.

 

"...yes" he said as he caught up more blood.

 

"Let's go somewhere secure and do it quickly. Then we'll take her back to the village and see what the Hokage wants to do."

 

The woman picked Ayame up and they moved faster then her eyes could keep up with.

 

There was so much she wanted to ask, but none came up. She was aware now that even if it made no sense she was a in the fiction world of Naruto. Or something very similar to it if there was chakra and ninja stuff. And Hokage. At least that means she is in the land of fire close the the village hidden in leaves. Small victory.

 

But from where the conversation was heading, Ayame wasn't  feeling too good. If this man was a Jinchūriki like Naruto and Gaara, and he's dying so the beast will come out... and she is here.

 

_They are going to use me_. Ayame realized in a cold flash.

 

"Hatake, put her asleep so this isn't too painful for her."

 

Ayame look to Hatake, Hatake Kakashi who looked younger than what she remember but also so much older. He can't even be in his twenty yet, but his eye had that thousand year long stair in it. It was hard to tell what he was thinking with that one eye of his but Ayame hope it was the over the ethical issue of making a child do this.

 

"It's ok. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Not like there'll be anyone who will miss me." Ayame said, hating how that sounded.

 

But it was true. Without her Mom, this new life already came to an end. She had no idea what living with a demon thing would be like, but that or have it attack people? She'll force herself to be selfless this time.

 

"What a smart brave girl." Rōshi said between wheezing.

 

It didn't sound like he had much time left.

 

Kakashi didn't say anything, but between one breath and the next the world fell black for Ayame.


	2. Starting Arc: New New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Kakashi is a babysitter.
> 
> (This chapter was brought to you by Undertale OST- goodnight extended by Elu Tran on YouTube. Give it a listen if you are one of those people who likes music when you read.)

Ayame was almost disappointed when she woke up. Everything was sore and she still remembered what happened. She had no family, no home, and now a demon sealed in her to be used as a weapon for the sake of 'peace'.

 

_ Fan-fucking-tastic. _

 

"Good, you're awake. Let's get going. The sooner we get this to the Hokage the sooner I can take a bath." The lady said as she left. 

 

Ayame got up to see they were camping outside of the town. Ayame had hoped to get some of her stuff, but there wasn't anything of hers that she wanted. Ayame didn't play with toys, and she already read the books. She didn't even have that many cloths as her Mom was planning on buying some after her next payday.

 

So Ayame got up without a word and got ready for a long walk.

 

"So you know how to tree jump kid?"

 

"Tree jump?" Ayame repeated, understanding the word but not the meaning.

 

"She's like five for crying out loud! One of use should just carry the kid." The man who was called Shiko before said looking at the other two as if to say he wasn't going to.

 

Ayame didn't really want to be carried by anyone, but at least she know Kakashi from the show. She knew he was a good guy.

 

"Looks like you're the choices one Hatake." The lady said as they finished packing.

 

"You sure you want me to carry you Ayame?" Kakashi asked looking like Ayame just asked him for $100.

 

Not trusting herself to talk, the small child gave a nod. Kakashi sighed, but wasted no more time as he pick Ayame up and placed her on his back.

 

"Hold on, but not too tight." Kakashi said and Ayame made a sound to note she understood.

 

Then they were off. 

 

Ayame found her trouble slowly disappearing as the flew through the tree. The wind in her hair, and they were moving so fast! Ayame found her she smiling, thinking of how she was going to tell Mom this when...

 

_ But Mom is dead. _

 

Ayame rested her chin on Kakashi shoulder, all of a sudden tiered once more. It didn't matter. Once she got to the village, Ayame could guess what will happen. She would get place in whatever orphanage they have until she is dreamed old enough to watch herself. Like Naruto. 

 

No wonder that boy was so annoying in the first part of the show. He had no one to eat dinner with or to tell about his day. And now Ayame will have to deal with that too.

 

Ayame closed her eyes. Wishing more than anything that this was all some lucid dream and that she'll wake up.

 

* * *

It wasn't a dream.

 

Ayame wordlessly watched as the ninja talked to the Hokage about what happened. It seemed that she was young enough that they didn't have to watch what they said, and Ayame didn't care. 

 

Just when she was getting use to this new life the rules were changed. Ayame felt empty, like she was running on no sleep after studying for days for final back in college. But worst since she had no one to talk to about it. Ayame never considered herself to be the most social person, but now surrounded by strangers she realized she was.

 

"We will keep this a A-level secret for now. Until I tell Iwagakure what happened and make it clear we did not seal their tail beast." The third Hokage said with a tired sigh as he wrote something down and gave it to one of the assistants.

 

"As for young Nohara," he continued giving Ayame a smile. "I'll see if there is any room in the orphanage. Until then she can stay with me."

 

Ayame assumed this would happened and didn't bother to say anything, but to her surprise someone else spoke up.

 

"I wouldn't mind watching her for a few days. I have a spare room she could use."

 

Ayame turned to Kakashi who was reading a book looking like he didn't just speak up. She noticed the others were also looking at Kakashi in shock. The Hokage however, was smiling for real this time.

 

"Thank you Hatake. That would be great. You are all dismiss."

 

The ninja all left and Ayame followed Kakashi out. She was starting to feel her physical age with how big everything seemed. Now that she was more aware of her surrounding, Ayame noticed how big the whole village was. It was much bigger than her old village and bigger than it looked to be in the show. She subconsciously got closer to Kakashi, not wanting to get lost in the crowd of people.

 

They walked in silence. Kakashi reading his book, which Ayame didn't care what of, while Ayame was lost in her own thoughts.

 

She was still trying to wrap her mind around what happened. Is happening. At least if this is like the show, Ayame will have a heads up about the future since it sounds like it's after the fox attack but before Naruto graduates. Which means Ayame will have to deal with invasions, Orochimaru, and Akatsuki. Which might be the biggest worry since she is a Jinshūriki now. And that is something she would rather not think about. Ever.

 

"Here we are."

 

Ayame looked up to see a small building in a quiet section of the town. Kakashi moved his hands to form a handsign before walking in.

 

Ayame followed, the dark hallway only letting enough light from the few Windows so she could see a set of stair in front of the door, and a hall to the left of it. 

 

"There's two bedroom and a washroom up stairs," Kakashi said as he waved that way, already walking down the hall. "Kitchen and study is here. And there's a back yard for training."

 

Ayame stood with him in what looks to be the living room. There was no wall separating it from the kitchen or the door leading outside. The only other door inside must be the study, but the house looked empty.

 

_ Did he just move in? _ Ayame wondered though had a feeling that wasn't the case. A moment of silence passed as Ayame stared at Kakashi. He was the adult here, so she was waiting for him to do something. However Kakashi ended up looking at her with his one eye, as if waiting for her.

 

No. She might have been willing to be the perfect child for her Mom but she was tired. Kakashi would have to work a little.

 

"Do you want something to eat?" He ended up saying, braking their staring contacts as he walked to the kitchen.

 

Ayame didn't say anything since it was clear he was going to be making something anyways, and just followed, climbing onto a stool that allowed her to see what he was doing.

 

"Looks like there is some chicken, and rice." Kakashi said, more to himself then to Ayame.

 

It was a calming effect watching Kakashi cook. Ayame couldn't remember if the show said anything about the copy-ninja ability to cook, but it smelled good. Not great, but good. He was silent and sure of what he did, even though Kakashi didn't measure anything, just eyeballed it. It was similar to what Mom would do on night she wasn't too tired to cook. But while Ayame would help her Mom, she just watched Kakashi.

 

"Here." Kakashi said when everything was done, handing Ayame a bowl and chopsticks.

 

She started eating as Kakashi turned on the small old fashion look TV that was set on the bar stand that Ayame was seating. The ninja then seat next to Ayame in the only other seat, eye watching the movie that was playing.

 

She alternated between watching the movie, which seemed to be some ninja love story, and watch Kakashi. In her past life, she thought the Sensei for team 7 was funny and that was manly it. There was that whole story with his past team and how he got his Sharingan. Then there was the whole thing about his friend being Madara or being controlled by him, Ayame wasn't really sure. She stopped watching the show around that point, deeming that she was too old for it. Now knowing that information might have been useful.

 

They finished eating and Ayame jumped down to put her bowl in the sink.

 

"Thanks. Now what time do you sleep?" Kakashi said as he leaned against the wall.

 

Ayame thought that he almost looked scared, or at the very least worried. Worried about a little kid now living in his house? Ayame never had kids of her own in her past life, but she had friends who did. Crying was the main reason she would leave without saying goodbye.

 

The thought that Kakashi might think the same was funny. Ayame had half a mind to throw a tantrum just to see what he would do.

 

Instead Ayame just shrugged. 

 

Her mom never set a bedtime. Ayame would sleep when she was tired, and she already had a nap today.

 

"Right. Well I'm going to read." Kakashi said as he went into the other room.

 

Ayame followed noticing that unlike the rest of the house, this one was well used. There was books, papers, and scrolls of all different types covert every available surface. There was a desk that was covered, and a chair that was free for all of two seconds on till Kakashi sat in it, book already out.

 

Ayame took one more look at the room, the only one with any lights on, and went to find a book to read. She found some... interesting one that she avoided touching, but soon found the good stuff.

 

One about ninja myths that Ayame thought might be useful. Or at least fun to read.

 

She seat on the floor and open the book in her lap, slowly making her way through the difference read. It was not a kids book or a cook book that her Mom had, but Ayame was so into in it. Long before she notice, the sun set, leaving the house to look dark.

 

With a yawn, Ayame put the book back where she found it and headed up stairs not even noticing the eye watching her.

 

"I have some old clothes that might fit." Kakashi said once Ayame got out of the bathroom.

 

She saw a worn but clean t-shirt in his hand and Ayame took it.

 

"The bed is already made." Kakashi added as he turned to go down stairs.

 

"Thank you." Ayame said, noticing that he stopped misstep before continuing down the stairs.

 

She waited until the steps went deeper into the house, leading to the study, before turning to the room Kakashi gestured at. Sliding open the door revealing a bare room with only a bed and dresser. There was a window sill looking over the street which was empty apart from the few restaurants that were open across the street. It was amazing how quiet it was. 

 

Without even bothering to turn on the light, Ayame changed into the clean cloths, the t-shirt almost reaching her feet and the neck whole hanging off her shoulders. With a frown, she made sure it didn't fall off as she climbed into the bed. It had the seeing of a cave, or an old person's house. Dust with the chance of spiders.

 

At least the bed was nice and warm, so Ayame closed her eyes.

 

But sleep didn't come.

* * *

 

Ayame wasn't sure when she decided to stop trying to sleep. For a while she just listened to the sounds the house made and opened her window to hear the sounds of the city as well. But by the time the black of the night changed to grey of morning Ayame's eyes were wide open.

 

She ended up swing her legs out from the warmth and into the cool air. Ayame was considering getting her old clothe back on, but noticed there was blood on it and just pulled on her socks.

 

Ayame opened the door, trying not to make too much noise. It was something she did all the time back home and didn't make a second thought of going it in a Shinobi's house. The house was quiet as she moved down the stairs, hand training along the wall so she didn't need the lights. 

 

"You're a early riser."

 

She found herself standing outside of the study wondering what to do when as Kakashi scared her. Ayame stared at him wondering where he came from as he just stood there nothing saying anything more. She was a four year old, did Kakashi really expect her to have a normal sleeping schedule yet?

 

"Were you hungry? Or just wanted to finish that book?" 

 

Ayame cocked her head to look to the kitchen, then back at Kakashi. She wasn't really that hungry yet.

 

"I just wanted to read." She said, her voice sounding rough and unused.

 

"That's fine." Kakashi said as he also went into the room.

 

_ Is he just going to watch me the whole time? _ Ayame wonder as she looked for the book she was reading the night before. 

 

This time she leaned against the chair Kakashi was sitting in and the wall. It was much more comfortable down in the study then the  empty room, and soon Ayame felt her eyes getting heavy...

 

"She's sleeping." Ayame heard Kakashi say, interrupting her sleep.

 

"That's good. The orphanage is filled to the brim once again. Would you mind keeping a eye on her. I'll even make it a mission." 

 

"Hum."

 

Ayame strangled her ears to hear the rest of the conversation, but only heard the door closing instead. It was interesting that the third Hokage cared so much. Kakashi doesn't seem much like parent material, but Ayame does remember he was the one to offer his home to her. Maybe it was just that simple and in a few more days she will be stuck in a orphanage. 

 

Ayame curled into herself, only to notice she wasn't on the ground anymore.

 

Opening her eyes, Ayame saw the now dark study's ceiling. She was on the chair Kakashi was reading in with a thin blanket covering her.

 

_ Oh, well that was nice. _ Was her only thought as she drifted back to sleep, more confused than before but also couldn't help but feel relieved. It was a nice simple gesture that put her exhausted mind at rest.

 

She still didn't understand why he was doing this, but it's not like Kakashi is a bad person. Maybe he is just being nice, Ayame had and still has a hard time just trusting people without knowing their motives, but maybe she should start.

 

This is a new life after all. And who knows how many chances she'll have to do it again. 


	3. Starting Arc: Meet the Monkey King!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say Hello to the voice inside your head.

When the days ended up being a month Ayame started wondering if she should say something.

 

Kakashi didn't spend too much attention on her after the first few night when she could only sleep in the study. It seemed once she was able to stay the night in the guest room he stop appearing behind her whenever she was alone. 

 

He still made sure she had food for three meals a day, but most of the day she was alone. Which, if she was a normal 4 year old that would be a huge problem. But considering she knew how to care of herself and now is physically able to do all of it (beside buying food) it wasn't.

 

If anything Ayame liked the freedom. It made her feel more in control of her life, like what she did mattered. 

 

No the real problem was she couldn't shake the feeling this wouldn't last.

 

Each time they would eat or read together Ayame wanted to ask when she would have to leave. Not that she wanted to, but taking care of a kid was a huge responsibility and not one to do in the moment. Kakashi doesn't seem like the kind of person who will decide to give shelter to some random kid, but maybe he was? Ayame has discover in this past month she knew nothing about Kakashi. 

 

Sure she know he valued Teamwork due to the death of his fiend, but that doesn't really tell you much about a person. Like how he doesn't read porn all the time, but enjoys non-fiction stories more than fiction. That for a man that wears a blue mask all the time, he had a lot of red clothing.

 

It made Ayame realize this wasn't just a character in a half forgotten story, he was a real person.

 

And that just had Ayame even more confused over his actions. People always has reason for their actions, not always good reason, but some kind of cause and effect. So what was Kakashi cause?

 

Frustrated at the lack of answers, Ayame flopped onto her back looking up at the dark storm clouds rolling in. She visited a park that ended up being more like a training ground for kids earlier when the sun was still shining brightly in the last summer day. Now with thunderstorms on the now most of the kids left with their family's.

 

Ayame wasn't really playing with them to begin with, but now even the lack of crying was getting to her. 

 

She was alone with her own thoughts and worries, and a feeling of listlessness. 

 

With another sigh, she closed her eye in hoped to relax a bit.

 

In her past life one of her friend forced her to go to some mindful meditation classes. While it wasn't really her cup of tea, the practice was useful during her more stressful periods of life.

 

So with nothing better to do she got sat up and crossed her legs. Paying attention to her breathing and letting her mind wander with less restraint. Thoughts of her Mom came and went, along with the worried of the future. Which anyone would be worried about, but Ayame knew what will happen. Or what could happen.

 

Ayame has yet to be given the chance to change anything, but living with Kakashi makes her wonder if she should try. But would that be better or worst? As it is she knows what will happen, but if she starts changing things now there is no way to know the effect that will have. What could be better now might end up make world war 3. Or the Shinobi war come sooner.

 

Unhappy with the direction her thoughts have taken, Ayame opened her eyes.

* * *

 

Only to notice she was no longer in the park.

 

_ Did I fall asleep and was kidnaped? _ She questioned as stood up.

 

Yet, she could tell something was off.

 

Not only did it look like that cellar lever that seems to be in every horror game, but there was no move movements. The flames moved in a wind that Ayame couldn't feel, and noticing the lack of feeling in general. Sure it was there, but if felt off.

 

Like a dream moments before you wake up.

 

_ So did I just fall asleep or is it an genjutsu. _ Ayame wondered as she walked down the wide tunnel.

 

She had no idea how Genjutsu worked, but she figured it would lack things you would only find in real life. And she remembered something about not have shadows, so same idea.

 

Yet walking away from the light effected her shadow in a normal way.

 

_ Is there shadows when I dream? _ She thought, starting to get a little scared.

 

She was never one for suspense.

 

" **And so my new keeper arrives. Or are you a jailer?"** A deep voice bellowed, seeming to shake the walls.

 

Ayame bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything and keep walking. Though at a much slower pace.

 

" **I know you are there."**

 

Ayame saw the end, were a wooden gate was. Like the kind you would find in a temple, covered in papers with written that didn't seem to be just Kanji. She got closer, wanting to see what it said, when and eye appeared through the darkness between the post.

 

"AGGHAA!" Ayame screamed, backing away from the gate to see a giant on the other side. 

 

A giant ape.

 

" **AAAAGHH! I can yell too!** " The ape said without moving his mouth.

 

Ayame closed her mouth and forced herself to calm down.

 

" **Is that all you know how to say?"** The Ape leaned forward but as he neared the gate Ayame saw a barrier surrounding it.

 

The gate was keeping the ape in.

 

"N-No. You just startled me." Ayame said standing her ground as the ape looked at her.

 

" **So you screamed in order to get me to leave? Cleaver plan little human. But it wouldn't work against the great Son Gokū!"**

 

"Gokū? You're name is Son Gokū? Like after the monkey King?" Ayame asked still weary of the ape.

 

" **I did not realize humans have written stories of me. It seems Rōshi was holding out on me.** "

 

_ He's the four tail beast. _ Ayame realized as she looked him over more calmly now that she knew what she was dealing with.

 

" **My name is Gokū. Your soul may not have been born in this place, but you should know to call one by his name.** "

 

Ayame stared at him, unsure of what she should question first. The fact that he can read her thoughts here, or that he knows she was reincarnated.

 

"Sorry. Gokū." Ayame said, wondering if she should just leave.

 

**"Remember for next time if you can. I would much rather live with a human who can understand that much at least.** "

 

"You want me to just call you Gokū? Or Son Gokū" Ayame asked, wanted to know what he carried so much but feeling like bluntly asking might not be the best solution.

 

" **Son Gokū if you please.** "

 

"Alright, Son Gokū. My name is Ayame, Nohara Ayame. But you can call me whatever you want really."

 

" **But a name is important. It is who you are. I will call you Ayame little one.** " Gokū said with a nod as he sat up.  **"But you are needed elsewhere, so I will think on it for next time.** "

 

Ayame was about to ask what he meant by that, when light started to pour in.

 

* * *

 

"So, do you like to sleep in the rain or is my guest bed really that uncomfortable?"

 

Ayame opened her eyes to see Kakashi leaning into her field of vision. He looked like a wet dog with the amount of rain that was coming down even with a small umbrella that was keeping most of it off himself.

 

Lightning struck somewhere far off and Ayame wondered how long she was talking to Gokū for.

 

"The bed's ok. Beside, it wasn't raining when I fell asleep." Ayame said as she got up and under the umbrella Kakashi was holding.

 

"Humm, maybe you should start sleeping under a tree then. Or in a tree if you want to get a head start on how mission outside of Konoha will be like." Kakashi said as Ayame just started at him.

 

"You think... I'm going to be a ninja?" Ayame asked wishing not for the first time that he didn't wear that mask.

 

It would be much easier to tell what he was thinking.

 

"If you want to."

 

Ayame thought of that. She figured since she is a Jinchūriki there wouldn't be much of a choice. The whole reason they started sealing them into people was to keep the tailed beast from causing havoc and so they can use their power.

 

"My dad was a Shinobi." Ayame ended up saying, for it sounded better than trying to tell Kakashi what she was really thinking.

 

Kakashi gave a nod as he hummed to himself. It looked a little out of place without that book of his.

 

"I had a teammate who was a Nohara. Rin Nohara. The Hokage told me she would have been your aunt, if she was still alive."

 

_ So that's why you're letting me stay with you _ . Ayame didn't recognize the name at first, but Kakashi couldn't have too many teammate that died and left such an impact on him.

 

"My mom said that the Nohara clan is gone." 

 

"Well, you're a Nohara, so that's at least one person. But for a clan without any special bloodline, it is sad that they died out so much." Kakashi said, evidently moving on from their more emotional talk.

 

"What about your family." Ayame knew the answer, but didn't want to be the only one feeling sad in the rain.

 

"Just me as well. Maybe we should just stick together, being so alike."

 

"So we both are only child in a dead family, like to read, and nap. Careful, people might starting thinking we're related." Ayame joked to cover up the feeling of relic she felt at hearing Kakashi suggest that.

 

Some stability would be really welcomed right now.

 

"I'll buy you a mask next time we go shopping."

 

"You better not!" Ayame yelled, but was smiling nevertheless.

 

"Oh, then do you not need this umbrella either?" Kakashi said as Ayame narrowed her eye.

 

_ He's smirking under that mask. I just know it. _

 

Yet before Ayame could say anything, he disappeared.

 

With the Umbrella.

  
"KAKASHI COME BACK!" Ayame cried into the sky as she ran home. Her laughter being covered by the thunder as the rain fell even harder.


	4. Starting Arc: Celebration of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday are always fun, right?

"What are you doing here?"

 

"I'm gonna take the entry exam!" Ayame overheard as she jumped over the wall. 

 

Kakashi told her that entry exams for the academy started today, which just requires you to write your name and age. Nothing too challenge which was why Ayame told him she'll do it by herself. Not to mention Kakashi probably wouldn't come even if she asked, but it's better not to bring up his questionably parenting skills. Ayame wasn't sure if Konoha had any child services, but she did not want to be put in a different home. 

 

There making the notice was a group of older kids surrounding a boy with bright yellow hair.

 

_ Of course it's Naruto. _

 

This is the first time she had seen the main character, but it could be no one else. While there was some odd hair color here and there, she has yet to see another blonde with Naruto's hair color. And hoped no one else would wear an orange jumpsuit that looked two sizes too big. 

 

"Don'cha know it's the... in the Niako district?"

 

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me sooner!" Naruto yelled, turning to run the opposite direction when Ayame step in front of him.

 

"That's because he's lying. Come on, I need to take the exam as well." Ayame pushed lashed the older kids, giving them a good glare that made them take a step back.

 

"Oh, thanks a bunch. I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" the boy announced loudly effect for the whole street to hear.

 

"I'm Nohara Ayame. Nice to meet you Naruto-chan." She said back, keeping an eye of her surrounding.

 

Standing next to Naruto was making her super aware of the other people. Normally they ignored her, but now they were whispering to each other or giving mean looks. Not at her, but Naruto.

 

"I was worried I would miss it. Ba-chan said that this would be the only chance I would have to be a ninja, and that the test was really really hard. But I'm going to be the best ninja ever, believe it!" Naruto rambled as the walked.

 

Luckily for Ayame it was a short one.

 

"Line up, today's only the first day of sign up, there is no need for pushing!" One of the Genin manning the table yelled.

 

Naruto went straight for that line, but Ayame took a moment to see if there was any other place to sign up. It seems like a big job for only one person.

 

There on the other side of the courtyard was a similar set up with only two families in line.

 

_ Perfect. _

 

"Name and birthday." The Genin said once it was her turn.

 

"Nohara Ayame, December 21." Ayame said she eagerly watched the Genin fill out the sheet and hand it off to another who disappeared.

 

"21st you said? Well, happy birthday then." The teenager said before giving Ayame a piece of paper.

 

"Thank you." Ayame said with a bow before getting out of the way.

 

The page measly told her what the sticker of the school way. Most likely for the parents, but Ayame read it anyways. It was based off a four year system, though it highly recommend kids to wait until they are 12 before taking the Genin exam.

 

Ayame briefly remembered how Kakashi and others graduated at 8, but maybe that was because of war. She had no problems waiting that long, not wanting to get into life and death situations any sooner than she needs to.

 

There was no information on what class she will be in but she figured it would be based more on age then skill. Which means there would be a high chance of her being in the same class and Naruto and the others.

 

With a look over to the station to confirm that Naruto was indeed still waiting in line, Ayame wondered if she should be more aware of her interactions with others. 

 

She didn't even think about that when she saw Naruto being bullied by those kids, but now that she was, there might be a chance that it will cause a butterfly effect. Meaning that now she might not have the choice to avoid more minor situation to lower the chance of change. It might have already happen.

 

_ Great. knowledge of the future potentially all useless now. _

 

Still, she ended up waiting for Naruto to finish. Ayame figured if she was already missing things up, might as well go all the way.

 

"Oh, you're still here! Man that was a long line, I thought I would be there all day and miss dinner!" Naruto said as he ran up to her.

 

Ayame shrugged and pushed off the tree she was leaning on.

 

"It's just past noon. I think your dinner will be safe."

 

"Ya I guess you're right. Hey do you want to play with me? I just moved to the new apartment so there isn't any time that I need to be back."

 

_ They let five year olds live by themselves? _ Ayame thought making a face at the thought.

 

"Or, not. If you need to go home or something..." Naruto continued making Ayame realize he thought that face was for him.

 

"No, I would like to play with you. We could play..." Ayame said trying to think of some two player games that would be fun for a high energy kid like Naruto. "Hot Lava monster."

 

"Ohh what's that?"

 

Rather then answering, Ayame just smiled at the boy and took off running to the nearest park. It was the one that had a lot of posts and rocks to climb on, and since it was so cold today (really it wasn't that cold, but to Ayame it was) it was unluckily that anyone will be there. If someone needs to train they would use on of the training field instead of the park.

 

"This is good enough." Ayame said once they arrived, Naruto not even a bit winded.

 

"Ok so Hot lava monster is when the ground is lava and if you fall in, you became a monster who tries to pull others into the lava." Ayame said as she climbed up onto on of the rocks, guttering Naruto to do the same.

 

"Right."  Naruto said looking like he wasn't really listening to what she just said.

 

Ayame jumped to the next rock and Naruto followed. Some other kids ended up also joining, but were pulled away by their parents before too long. Still Ayame made sure Naruto didn't spend time thinking of that.

 

The sun seemed to set way to soon, but that's what it does in the winter.

 

"Sorry Naruto, looks like I need to go soon." Ayame said as she jumped out of the tree they were climbing in.

 

"Oh, okay. Want to play again tomorrow Ayame-chan?" Naruto said with the huge grin of his.

 

"Sure. I'll meet you here around noon." 

 

Ayame has yet to make any friend that was her physical age, but now that school was starting up in a few months maybe she should. 

 

_ Besides. _ Ayame though as she watched Naruto leave.  _ He really needs a friend. _

 

It was completely unfair how the adults treat Naruto. And because of that most of the kids pick up on it and do the same. It was Micro-aggressions at it's finest. 

 

_ And to think i'm in the same situation. Only difference is that only a few people know I'm also a Jinchūriki. _

 

With that thought, Ayame final moved to head back home. 

* * *

 

She was about to go to the back door like normal since Kakashi locks the front with some kind of Jutsu, when the door opened up.

 

"I was just about to go and meet you, but I had to help an old lady with her cat." Kakashi said as he stepped out of the house.

 

"Right. And how big was the cat?"

 

"Big enough." He said as he walked passed Ayame and down the street.

 

Ayame ended up following figuring she was invited to wherever the Jōnin was heading.

 

"I see. So where are we going?"

 

"Out."

 

Ayame gave him a look but Kakashi already had his book out. Whatever, she'll find out sooner or latter.

 

It turned out they were heading to a wonderful smelling place that reminded her of Korean BBQ. They keep walking to a table that already had some people there. People Ayame recognized.

 

"My Eternal Rival! I Was Just Going To Look For You." Maito Gai said wearing his green outfit like usual even though this is years before Ayame remember seeing him in the show.

 

"Is this Ayame? Nice to meet you, I'm Yūhi Kurenai, that is Maito Gai, and this is Sarutobi Asuma" Kurenai said waving to the other guys.

 

"Nice to meet you all," Ayame said with a bow, not sure what else to do.

 

"What a polite kid. What is she going in your care Kakashi?" Asuma asked as he put out his smoke.

 

Which is good since Ayame has never liked smoking. Not that she cared one way or another if others do it, but there was way too many health related defects that was cover up in her past life.

 

Kakashi surged as he sat down next to Gai, Ayame seating on the other side next to Kurenai.

 

"So are you all Jōnins" Ayame asked since she knew by the time Naruto graduated they will be.

 

"I'm a Chūnin, but these guys are all Jōnin." Kurenai explained as food started arriving at the table.

 

"It Is So Good That You Decided To Re-assign As A Jōnin Kakashi. It Wasn't The Same Before. How Can We Fight If You're Not Here." Gai said in his weird half yell thing he does.

 

"Hokage was the one to suggest it. With help as I heard." Kakashi said, looking to them all with his one eye.

 

"Yes. Then In A Few Years We Can Have Team Of Our Own. Showing The Spirit Of Youth For The Next Generation." Gai continued like nothing happened. 

 

He would probably act like this even in front of Orochimaru or Pain. Small respect is deserved for that kind of ignorance.

 

"Come on, we're not that old yet. You just had your 18 birthday a month ago." Asuma pointed out. With his drink.

 

_ They're only 18? I knew Kakashi was young but that is really young. _

 

They continued to talk like old friends that haven't seen each other in a while, and with mission and what not it was likely has been a while.

 

Ayame was satisfied just listening to them talk, answering the few questions they had, and eat. It was a much lively evening then most, and Ayame was loving it.

 

The adult were drunk and carefree and for the first time in a while Ayame wasn't thinking of the future.

 

It was nice. Really nice.

 

"Ok, I think that's enough. Time to get Ayame to bed." Kakashi said as he picked Ayame up.

 

"What are you talking about? I don't..." Ayame started to say but was interrupted by the feeling of wind rushing past her.

 

They were now in a different location outside of the restoration and Kakashi out her down.

 

"Using me as a reason not to pay the bill?" Ayame asked as Kakashi started walking.

 

He didn't say anything and he didn't need too.

 

"I want you to teach me how to do that." Ayame said because she didn't really care he was skipping out on his friends. It was kinda funny to think how long it will take them to realize it.

 

"Since you're in the Academy I'll train you when I here." Kakashi said.

 

"Really? 'Cause I was kinda joking, but I would love it if you could train me."

 

"When I have time." Kakashi said, which translated to when he was bored.

 

"Sure. That would be great. Thank you Kakashi!" Ayame said with a skip in her step.

 

She was worried about being behind since it seemed like most kids would learn outside of the school, but with Kakashi willing to help her? That was better than she could have hoped for.

 

"Before I forget. I got you something for your birthday."

 

"How did you know it's my birthday?" Ayame asked as Kakashi pulled something out from his pocket.

 

It was a red scarf.

 

Kakashi didn't answer Ayame question, but wrapped it around her face.

 

"Now you have a mask."

 

"What?" Ayame said, or tried to say as the scarf was covering her mouth.

 

Kakashi just took out his book and walked away.

 

"Really? You got me this nice scarf just to make a joke?" Ayame said, once she pulled it down so it was around her neck.

 

"It was just something I had lying around. Don't worry I got it all cleaned for you."

 

That made Ayame look at the scarf more. She didn't recognized it, but Kakashi didn't seem like the type of person to just have things' lying around'. He wore the same outfit everyday and Ayame was pretty sure she would have notice it.

 

But he did have a lot of clothes that didn't seem to fit him. 

 

"Thank you." Ayame said, fixing the scarf so it would be loosely hang around her neck.

 

Kakashi just read his book and Ayame couldn't help but think this might just be one of her best birthdays.

 

In the top ten at the very least.


	5. Academy Arc: First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to school

In her past life, Ayame loved school. She liked learning, and enjoyed spending time with her friends. While she didn't always have the best teacher, she never hated school.

 

So it made sense that Ayame was excited for her first day at the Ninja Academy.

 

"Kakashi? Can you buy some more fruit next time you go shopping?" Ayame yelled as she finished up her bento box.

 

It looked pretty good for being her first time making one, but she had friend in her past life that would make then every so often. And Kakashi was here in this life to help.

 

Maybe.

 

"Sure."

 

"Thanks. Ok, I'm off." Ayame jumped off the stood, pulling her lunch into a bag and waving Kakashi farewell.

 

She had no idea if he even saw it with how he was 'reading'. The ninja has been away for a mission for two week and got back late last night. Ayame had no idea why he was even wake.

 

Spring was just starting but the morning was still a bit cool. Ayame fixed her scarf and shoved her bag onto her back, thinking of the best way to go so she would just happen to run into Naruto.

 

Assuming he wouldn't be late on the first day of school.

 

Over the few months after first meeting Naruto, Ayame has made a point to see him at least once a week. It got to be some short of running joke with them of how Ayame would 'just happen' to be wherever Naruto was. The first few time was because Ayame knew what Naruto liked from the show, and after that Ayame just figured Naruto himself out a bit.

 

He always walked to the same places, using paths that had the least amount of people on them. Ayame would have brought it up why a kid going downs though road by himself was a bad idea if she didn't know why Naruto did so.

 

So Ayame would just make sure he wasn't alone as much.

 

"Aya-chan!" Naruto yelled once he saw her.

 

She looked up from the book she was reading and put it away with a smile.

 

"Fancy running into you here."  Ayame said as she walked along side the boy.

 

"I know, it's weird how we keep running into each other. But at least today we are going to the same place so we can walk together." Naruto said as Ayame nodded.

 

The walk to the Academy was filled with Naruto talks, with Ayame adding her thoughts every so often. They didn't run into any one on the way there, but once they got to the courtyard, that changed.

 

"IF IT IS YOUR FIRST YEAR COME INTO THE STADE ROOM. IF NOT JUST LOOK FOR YOUR NAME ON THE LIST POSTED OUTSIDE OF THE TEACHER OFFIC." a unnatural loud voice announced, making Ayame wonder if there was some kind of Jutsu for that.

 

"Come on, let's get a good seat!" Naruto said as Ayame let him pull her inside.

 

Inside was lots of family making their way to the seats. A few Ayame recognized like Sakura and Kiba, mostly because almost all the females in Sakura's family has pink hair and Ayame is always aware when there are dogs to be pet.

 

There was so many dogs.

 

When they sat, there was a family that move that Naruto didn't notice but Ayame did.

 

 _Asswhips._ She thought with a quick glare before drawing her attention to the stage.

 

A leaf Ninja she didn't recognize came forward and welcomed everyone. Then started talking about the history of the hidden villages, and what it means to be a Ninja, and their duty to the village, and so on.

 

Naruto ended up falling asleep and Ayame wasn't doing much better. She was suspired at first how many times they made it clear that this was the choice for the kids, and not a simple one. However after two hours of that it quickly lost its lust.

 

So Ayame closed her eyes.

 

* * *

 

When they opened again Ayame was in a dense forest, not too unlike the ones she grew up in.

 

"Son Gokū, I can finish that story now if you want." Ayame said as she walked to the gate separating herself from the beast.

 

" **I thought you had to go to school?"**

 

"They're just talking in cause you didn't notice. Not that I would blame you if you didn't, it was pretty boring."

 

" **I just can't get why you would even go. It seems to be a waste of our time.** "

 

Ayame didn't say anything about that and just sat down, think back to the story of Sun Wukong and the journey to the west.

 

"You'll tell me when it's over right?" Ayame ask since for some reason he seemed to have a better understanding of what was happening outside of their mind then her.

 

" **Yes. Now finish the story with the Jade Empire."**

 

Ayame wasn't the best story teller, but it was much easier when the one you were telling it to could read your mind. It started as a way for Ayame to get to know the tail beast more.

 

The first time they met was too confusing and Ayame had no idea what to think of it. The only thing she knew of tail beast was from Naruto interrelations with the nine tail. Which was a little unfair of her to assume that they would all be like that.

 

Still, Ayame didn't trust Gokū. He has yet to bring up the seals, but Ayame didn't understand why he was being so civil toward her. She was his jailer, and Gokū was stronger then her.

 

So Ayame told him story of story she read in her past life. Nothing about Naruto, but story that Ayame didn't think would matter.

 

To no one surprise he like the story that were about the Monkey King.

 

" **There is a old man coming onto the stage now** " Gokū interrupted after some time and Ayame made herself wake up.

 

* * *

 

It was the Hokage.

 

Ayame jabbed Naruto in the side to wake him up and pointed to the stage.

 

"I would like to welcome the new students and their family's. It is a honor to see so many young ones that want to protect and serve our country. This year, I wanted to organize the class myself, so I will be reading off the list." He said slowly and carefully, taking a moment for people to process before continuing.

 

"Now in class 1 we have Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chōji, Fujita Chiyo, Fujita Etsuko, Haruno Kajura, Himura Hideyoshi, Hisakawa Takahiro, Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Kobayashi Sumiko, Minami Yuuki, Nakahara Nana, Nara Shikamaru, Nohara Ayame, Sato Shuohei, Tsukuda Moriko, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Yamaguchi Taichi, and Yamanaka Ino. Now will those kids please go to the classroom."

 

Ayame got up and waited for Naruto to get into the alleyway before following. While she knew it would be likely for her to end up in the same class, Ayame didn't think it would happen. Or didn't think what she would do if it did happen.

 

"That's great we're in the same class! I was worried I wouldn't have any friends on the first day to each lunch with." Naruto said as we walked.

 

Some  of the other kids were listen as well, but Ayame payed them no mind.

 

"I'm pretty sure we all have lunch at the same time regardless of class."

 

"Oh ya, that makes sense. Hey we should go get a window seat, then we can throw thing at people as they walk by."

 

Ayame looked to see if Naruto was joking. He wasn't.

 

"Only if you take the blame if we get caught." Ayame said, as while she liked to have fun she didn't want to end up in detection.

 

Never had and never will.

 

"That's fair. I get in trouble all the time so I don't mind."

 

 _That is not fair, but it is how it is. I'll just have to work on a plan to change it_.

 

They did ended up seating by the window, Naruto in the first row and Ayame behind him.

 

Ayame noticed it was different from the class that Naruto was in from the show, but figure it was just because that was the graduating class. It would be weird being in the same classroom for seven years.

 

She was sad to see that Iruka wasn't their teacher this year, but figured he might just be for students that want to take the graduation exam.

 

"I'm Aoba Yamashiro. You can all call me Aoba-Sensei." The man that was wearing sunglasses indoors said.

 

There was more talks about the dangers and expand actions for them all, and Ayame was departed weather or not she would have another 'talk' with Gokū when Naruto spoke up.

 

"Say, when are we going to learn cool Ninja stuff?"

 

"... As I was saying, it is important that you all follow the Ninja code..."

 

_He just gonna ignore Naruto?_

 

Pulling out her notebook, Ayame wrote on the corner of the page and threw it onto Naruto's desk when the teacher's back was turned.

 

Just cause she was a model student in her past life doesn't mean she doesn't know all the way to pass notes. She just never got caught doing it.

 

Ayame watched as Naruto smiled at the paper and turned around say thanks.

 

"No talking in the class. Uzumaki, go wait outside."

 

Naruto left looking wide eyed and Ayame was cursing herself and the teacher in her head.

 

No wonder why Naruto was 'dead last' if this was what he had to deal with for seven years. He might not be a genius like Sasuke, but Ayame always thought success was more based off effort and resources than natural ability.

 

Ayame listened to the teacher talk, only so she could tell Naruto what he missed later. It was amazing what a turn the day has taken and it wasn't even lunch yet.

 

***

"Now be sure to look over and sign the paper before tomorrow. You are dismissed for lunch."

 

Ayame grabbed her stuff and was out of the room in record timing.

 

"Aya-chan? Oh, can I come back now?"

 

"It's lunch, want to find a place to eat?" Ayame said instead, leading Naruto outside.

 

"Lunch? but I didn't bring anything. I thought they would give us food!"

 

"Well, you can have some of mine. I had a big breakfast." Ayame told him as they left the building with some of the other students.

 

It seems that most of their class is going to eat in the classroom.

 

"Thanks a lot Aya-Chan!" Naruto said once they sat.

 

While they eat Ayame told him everything that happened while he was forced to wait outside. While Ayame was feeling a bet angry for Naruto behalf, the boy was acting like nothing even happened.

 

"Eh, that sounds like a lot of work."

 

"It's only three pages."

 

"And that's a lot!"

 

Ayame turned slowly, not believing what she was hearing.

 

"It's. Three. Pages."

 

"I know, three whole pages. When do they expect us to have the time to read all that?" Naruto said as he stuffed his face.

 

 _He has to be joking_.

 

Yet she knew he wasn't, and she had to change the topic before she loses her mind.

 

"Right. So like I told you before, I don't think we'll do any chakra type stuff until we're old, but Taijutsu should start soon. Maybe even today."

 

"Really? I see kids practicing that with their parents all the time, that would be so cool."

 

Ayame nodded in agreement, thinking on how Kakashi has yet to train with her. But he wouldn't have brought it up if he wasn't planning to.

 

She would just have to be patient. And make sure he didn't forget.

 

The afternoon class was better since they were final being taught something with a different teacher. Just some information about the founders of Kohona and a little more about how the hidden villages work. It was very similar to what was said in the orientation they had with the parents, but from a 'you will be part of this system' stand point.

 

It was interesting hearing about Hashirama and Madara when you knew just how messed up all that really was, nowhere as clean as was the teacher was saying. Though Ayame remember that in her past life learning about history was very similar until high school where it became more like 'history is written by the victor, don't trust anything'.

 

Somehow that familiarity to her old life wasn't make Ayame feel any better. Just made her wonder why no one else noticed, and knowing that it was because they were still kids.

  
Ayame wasn't a kid. Not like them.


	6. Academy Arc: Fast Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days were kids made friends just by asking if they want to be friends.

**Chapter 6 Fast Friends**

 

Ayame was more than ready to go home once class was over, but it seemed that their home room teacher had other plans.

 

"Will all the girls please come here?"

 

_ Now starts the internal screaming. Why does this Ass of a Sensei want? _

 

"Now, I want to let you all know that there is an after school club to help you all become better Kunoichi. You're parents already know and you all can wait in the classroom until Kikari-Sensei comes by."

 

Ayame suppressed a grown. The last thing she wasn't to do was some tea party dress up club. Maybe this is why there were less girls than boys in Naruto graduating class.

 

She went back to the seat she was seat at before, noticing how she was the only one on this side of the room. Seemed that most of the girls were sitting together or in the middle and Ayame was with the boys. She didn't really notice since none of the kids would seat next to Naruto, and she couldn't see the ones who sat behind her.

 

_ Ok, this is awkward _ . Ayame thought as she got out her book to ignore the girls who were talking. 

 

She'll get to know them later, in the club.

 

When Yamanaka Kikari came she lead them outside, talking about the kinds of things a Kunoichi should know. Like what Ayame was expecting, there was going to be a lot of things about how to dress properly in different towns, how to pour tea and other mannerisms. But Kikari-Sensei also told them how it will be of use to them on mission. It was sounding to be more interesting than the normal class was.

 

"So our first lesson for today is about flowers. So I want you all to find a nice bunch and bring it here."

 

The other girls automatically broke off into groups even though there was nothing said about it. Ayame knew nothing about flowers, or even what's a flower and what's a weed. In her past life her mom got mad at her a few times for pulling up flowers and leaving weeds down in their yard. 

 

So Ayame figured since this was hopefully just a learning experience it wouldn't matter what she got. Kikari-Sensei would probably tell them what it was anyways.

 

"What's big-forehead doing? Trying to use the mud as makeup?" A classmate whose name Ayame forgot said, followed by a group of laughing.

 

Ayame stopped what she was doing to see who they were picking on. There seating on the ground was Sakura, there was no one else in their year with that shade of pink hair.

 

_ Why are ninja kids such assholes? _ Ayame thought as she walked over to the girls, standing in front of Sakura.

 

"Don't you have anything better to do then pick on others?" Ayame asked, crossing her arms in what she hoped looked intimidating.

 

"Who are you to talk to me like that? I'm an Uchiha, and I bet you're just another orphan with nothing better to do then play ninja." The girl that seemed to be the group leader said.

 

Ayame was pretty sure they weren't in the same class, and was now wondering if they were even in the same year. She was a head taller than Ayame.

 

"Ya, whatever. Come on let's go." Ayame said with a unamused look. She didn't want to deal with these children right now.

 

Ayame turned around to help Sakura up when something hit her back. Something wet and slimy.

 

"Nice threw Aki-chan!" A girl said, make the others laugh.

 

Ayame just rolled her eyes and helped Sakura up. She turned to the girls just staring at them.

 

She had no idea what to do. Not like fighting them would help, and Ayame way of dealing with situation like this in the past was just to leave. Then Ayame saw a light blonde hair girl cut in.

 

"Did you just throw a tomato at her?" Ino said, pointing threading that no five year old should be able to pull off.

 

"Of course a Yamanaka would come and ruin our fun. Let's go before she goes crying to her aunt."

 

The other girls quickly left, leaving the three of them alone.

 

"A-are you ok?" the pink haired girl asked, in such a quiet voice Ayame almost missed it.

 

"It's fine. I'll just wash it when I get back." Ayame said as she looked over her shoulder to see the damage. The white t-shirt was now red in the back, but she didn't want to buy a new one.

 

"Urgh, those girls are such meanie heads! You should get your mom to buy you a new shirt." Ino suggested.

 

"I don't have a mom anymore. And beside I think it will be fine."

 

"Oh, well then you can come shopping with me and my mom! I'm Yamanaka Ino by the way." the girl said with a smile.

 

"I'm Nohara Ayame. But it's really not necessary to go shopping..."

 

"Yes it is, you already dress like a boy you don't need to look like one too."

 

_ What? _

 

Ayame stared at the girl for a good moment, and Ino gave a similar one back. Sure she was wearing some of Kakashi's old clothes, but it wasn't that bad.

 

"I am a pretty boy at least?" 

 

Ino snorted and Sakura was still looking at them like they were crazy.

 

"Sure, just keep telling yourself that. We are still going shopping. You should come too Sakura-chan."

 

"Oh, o-ok"

 

They soon went back to what they were meant to be doing; picking flowers. As it turned out, Ino was the only one who know something about flowers both from her parents owning a flower shop and from her aunt being the teacher (it was actually her second aunt once removed).

 

It ended up being a good end to the school day. Though Ayame did had to cover up the stained shirt so Kakashi wouldn't worry about it.

 

***

 

On the weekend Ayame was enjoying some peace and quiet when someone knocked on the door. No one ever knocks on the door. Kakashi just walked in and his friends use the back door like Ayame. 

 

But there was someone at the front door.

 

Putting her book the the side, Ayame got up and walked over barefooted. She hesitantly opened the door, only to throw it all the way once she was who it was.

 

"Are you ready to go shopping Ayame-chan?"

 

Ino was standing there with Sakura slightly behind her and a women who must be Ino's mom.

 

She closed the door in her face.

 

"That wasn't a no!"

 

Ayame thought for a second if there was anyway she could get out of this, but was interrupted by Kakashi. Who must have thought it would be funny to lock her outside, forcing her to go.

 

Oh, she was going to get him back for this one. Sure Ayame has been hanging out with Ino and Sakura more and more, making them join her and Naruto at lunch, but shopping? It was the vain of her existence. 

 

"Ohh this is pretty!"

 

"You should try this on."

 

"What do you think of this Sakura-chan?"

 

"Ayame-chan, you should wear pink more often, it makes you look cute!"

 

And it went like that for hours. HOURS.

 

"Well that was fun, we should do this again!" Ino said as Ayame gleaned at her.

 

_ How are they not tired of this? They're five! They should be napping or something after all that. _

 

"I really enjoyed that. I didn't think shopping with friends would be so much fun. Thank you." Sakura said with a bow.

 

"Of course that's what friends do, make everything better. Next time we'll check out this cool bookshop I know Ayame-chan will like." Ino said, looking to her friend that was crashed out on a bench as they waited for her parent to pay.

 

"I would like that too. My parents don't have a lot of books about ninja stuff." Sakura said, and Ayame finally flipped over to look at them.

 

"I have a few books you could take a look at, but are you already have trouble with homework?" Ayame asked, but while they had homework she didn't think it was anything too bad.

 

"Well, not yet, but I want to be ready."

 

Ayame nodded. It makes sense, Sakura come from a civilian family. She probably she knows less about this ninja stuff than most kids in their class.

 

"We should form a study group then." Ino said and Ayame wondered why she didn't think of that.

 

Sure they're only five right now, but if Sakura still ends up being on team 7 it would be nice for her to be even more knowledgeable. Or maybe this was something that accrued even without Ayame existence.

 

"That sound much better than shopping." Ayame ended up saying, making the other girls launch into a argument on how Ayame could say that.

 

***

 

"AYA-CHAN!"

 

Ayame was drown out of her meditation by Naruto descent voice. She hanged upside down out of the tree, scaring Naruto, and pulled him up.

 

"What did you do this time?" She asked as two Genin ran past, still looking for Naruto.

 

"What makes you say I did something?" 

 

She continued staring at him.

 

"...Ok, I might have pulled a prank on a Sensei, but it wasn't that bad I swear!"

 

"Who was it?" Ayame asked since this was hardly the first time this has happen. Nor will it be the last since the 'draw on the Hokage's face' hasn't happened yet.

 

"Mizuki-Sensei. He never pays attention to be!"

 

"Him? While I would tell you he isn't worth it, I do think that guy deserves a little humiliation. So what did you do anyways?"

 

Naruto smiled as he told her of his epic plan involving a live chicken, a glass of water, and some dried seaweed. 

 

It has been more than a year since they have started school, and yet nothing has really changed in turned of the teachers treatment of Naruto. They have yet to be taught by Iruka, and Ayame deterred that once again while children can be mean, adults can be even worst. Even with Naruto hanging out with her, Ino and Sakura, she still finds him alone on the weekends.

 

Before she was worried by affect her friendship would have on the future, and while it might still make an impact later on, for now if feels like nothing has changed. That Naruto will continue to be lonely until he graduates. 

 

"Hey Naruto, do you want to have dinner at my place tonight?"

 

***

 

"Do you want to learn to summon Ninkens?" Kakashi said as he appeared next to Ayame who was finishing up her homework.

 

"Aren't summoning chakra intensive?" She said, looking at the mask ninja over her book.

 

Kakashi has been irregularly training her for two years now. So far it has just been different forms of taijutsu, which he knows a lot of. 

 

"If you don't want to learn we can just go out to eat for your birthday."

 

"No! I want to learn." Ayame said, dropping the book and following Kakashi outside.

 

Kakashi pulled out a scroll and laid it on the ground. Ayame though it looked a lot like a contract, the kind where you sign your soul over what with Kakashi name being written in blood and all.

 

"So the first step is place a drop of your blood in the circle there with your hand, then write your name."

 

"That's it?" Ayame asked. It sounded way too simple.

 

"Who you summon is deemed by the amount of chakra you use, and you know how to mold Chakra from class right?" Ayame nodded. "Then that's all you need to do. I'll show you the signs afterward."

 

Ayame looked to the scroll once more before pulling a kunin out. She gave herself a quick cut before she could over think what she was doing. With her now bloody hand, she pressed it to the scroll in a copy of what Kakashi's looks like, then she wrote her name in.

 

Nohara Ayame.

 

It looked a little strange next to Kakashi's name.

 

"Good, now repeat after me." Kakashi said, going through the movements for a summons, much faster than the speed the instructors use.

 

Still Ayame was able to get it.

 

_ Boar...Dog...Bird...Monkey...and Ram! _

 

Then summoning up enough chakra to preform a body replacement technique, she slammed her hands onto the ground.

 

But nothing happened.

 

"Well I'm off. Keep practicing kid." Kakashi said as he rubbed Ayame's hair, ignoring the murderous glare she was giving him.

 

Then with a puff of smoke he was gone.

 

"What. An. Ass." Ayame said threw gritted teeth as she tried again.

 

And again.

 

And again.


	7. Academy Arc: Fight Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like seeing eight year olds fighting each other.

"Now today we are going to do something fun." Their Sensei said, someone from the Inuzuka clan from her face tattoos. And the giant brown dog at her side.

 

Ayame forgot her name since she wasn't Kiba's mom of anything.

 

"OH OH! WHAT IS IT SENSEI?" Naruto yelled, tugging on Ayame arm.

 

It was the last day before the end of the term, and it happened to fall on Ayame's 8th birthday this year. She was thinking more about the 'surprise' Ino had planned for tonight then whatever their Taijutsu teacher was talking about. 

 

Naruto continued to jump up and down like the kid he was and Ayame let him.

 

"Today, we are going to have ourselves a little tournament."

 

Half off the class screamed along with Naruto, while others like Shikamaru groaned. Ayame was more on Naruto side of things even though not a sound escaped her smile.

 

While they spare every so often, there wasn't enough time to do anything like this. Their Sensei must have been planing this for a while and got the other teacher to agree.

 

"Ok, ok. SHUT UP PIP-SQUEAKS! Now, it will be one-on-one, with a one-on-one-on-one in the end. And so it's fair I'll be setting up the first round. Alright?"

 

"Yes Sensei!" Most of the students said in unison.

 

"Good. Now to start off I want Fujita Chiyo and Sato over here, and Minami and Uchiha over in that ring. First one to step out of the ring or is on the ground for the count of five loses. Start after giving the seal of confrontation."

 

"Ohh, let's all watch Sasuke-kun's fight!" Ino said from behind, somehow pulling Naruto and Ayame over to the other ring.

 

"What? I don't want to watch that Bastard fight!" Naruto complain, but still didn't move to go back to where they were before. He was still in the 'don't want to upset my friends' stage with Ino. So soon they were all over to the other ring as Sasuke turned to the black haired girl.

 

The poor girl didn't stand a chance and was on the ground in one leg sweep, the wind knocked out of her.

 

"That was so cool!"

 

Ayame like to think Ino and Sakura had stars in their eyes right now, and rolled hers. That got Naruto to laugh at least.

 

"Next up! Nara and Yamaguchi over there, Nakahara and Fujita Etsuko over here."

 

Shikamaru give up as soon as he entered the ring but the other Fujita twin won her fight by transmuting into Sasuke, making Nakahara unable to punch her 'lover'. Ayame didn't know whether or not to laugh at Naruto's face at that, or at Sasuke's.

 

"Tsukuda, Inuzuka, and Akimichi, Yamanaka get ready!"

 

"Good luck Ino." Sakura said as the blond entered the ring. 

 

Having Chōji fight Ino was a poor setup. Ino wasn't much of a Taijutsu fight but could stand her ground with most of the other kids. Chōji however was one of the better Taijutsu fighter in their class since that is what the Akimichi clan is all about. Big fits equal hard punches after all.

 

"Ready Ino?" Chōji asked as he finished off his bag of potato chips.

 

"Yes, now stop eat and let's get this over with." 

 

Ino held on for a good amount of time. Since there was only so much space to work with, she was able to dodge most of Chōji's attacks. Chōji only knew enough of his clan ability to enlarge his hand, which wasn't too useful when his arm stayed the same size. But she was unable to go on the offensive and Chōji got her.

 

"Are you alright Ino?" Chōji asked as she went over to where Ino fell out of the ring.

 

"I'm fine. Good fight." Ino said, flipping her hair out of her face and heading back to the group.

 

"Uzumaki vs. Nohara and Kobayashi vs. Haruno."

 

"NICE! It's our turn." Naruto said with a air fist pump.

 

"You better not think I'll go easy just because we're friends." Ayame warned as they walked over to the ring together.

 

"Of Course now! I'm the great Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to become Hokage someday!" 

 

Ayame chuckled to herself, "Ok Hokage-chan. Let's see what you can do."

 

Naruto ran at Ayame, who only had to take a sidestep to get out and deliver a short kick that had Naruto rolling on the ground.

 

"Urgh, alright. Here's round two!"

 

Ayame frowned as she easily block Naruto punch and twisted his arm. This was the first time they sparred together since Ayame normally teams up with Sakura, but Ayame didn't think Naruto was this far behind.

 

In her mind, she couldn't help but think of what he will be. Naruto will be one of the most powerful ninja, so she just thought he would be that now. Ayame forgot there was a real reason why he has the nickname 'dead-last'.

 

Ayame forced Naruto onto the ground and Sensei finished the count.

 

"Nice fight Naruto." Ayame said as she got him back onto his feet.

 

"Thank, I didn't realize you were so good Aya-chan." Naruto said, not sounding as happy as before, but he did just lose.

 

Ayame would have to come up with a plan to improve Naruto's Taijutsu later.

 

"Hisakawa, Hyūga, and Aburame, Himura You're up."

 

Ayame looked as Hinata walked over, head angled down like she was trying to disappear.

 

"Go Hinata! Do your best!" Ayame said, getting the others to cheer the shy girl on.

 

She didn't know Hinata that well, but they have talked a few times and Ayame was there when Naruto helped her out on day. Sometime Hinata stays after their Kunoichi club to study with Ino and Sakura, not to mention Hinata was one of her favorite characters in her past time. Ayame has always like to root for the underdog.

 

The fight started out with Hinata blocking each punch or kick, but after Ayame notice her quick look at all of them cheating (looking lingering longer on Naruto), she went onto the offensive. Their positive reforming seemed to do some good and Hinata was able to get her opponent to stumble out of the ring.

 

"Great job Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled as the girl's face lit up red in record timing making Ayame worried that she was going to faint.

 

Sasuke won his next fight as the Fujita twin lost hers. Hinata tried her best against Shino, but ended up giving up when she was surrounded by his bugs. Then it was Ayame vs. Kiba.

 

"Ok you better be ready 'cause I'm going to kick ass!" Kiba said as Sensei called him out for swearing.

 

Ayame just smiled as she got into her stance.

 

Akamaru has yet to be born, but already Ayame can see the fighting style that will be theirs. She steps out of Kiba's first attack only to be hit by a kick.

 

Ayame rolled with the kick and used her hands to use the moment into a spin kick on the ground. It was a move that they never been taught in the class and did it's job of tripping Kiba up. Literally.

 

She wasted no time in getting back up and delivering a low power punch to keep Kiba down.

 

"... four... five... and Nohara wins."

 

"Sorry, did I go a little hard?" Ayame asked as Kiba slowly got up.

 

"Nah, I'M good. You just knocked the air out of me."

 

They shook hands and parted as Sensei explained the rules for the one-on-one-on-one part.

 

"Earth style: multiple wall." She said, with lot of the class ohh-ing at the sight of short rock walls forming around them.

 

"Now this time it's a bit of a bigger area for you squirts to fight in. Uchiha, Nohara, Aburame get your butts in here."

 

The three step over the wall that only went to their ankles and formed a circle around their teacher.

 

"Now this time falling out of the ring wouldn't be good enough. There need to be a count down to win, but also if anyone need to go to the hospital there will be detentions."

 

_ Why didn't you say that before _ ? Ayame wondered briefly before turning her attention back on the boys.

 

Sasuke look confident like usual, but Shino looked worried. It was hard to tell with the gleam coming off his glasses, but he didn't quite seem like his cool and collected self. Something in the way he was holding himself was off.

 

_ Maybe he's worried about fighting Sasuke? _

 

It did make sense. Sasuke was the best taijutsu fighter in their class and the Aburame clan wasn't known for theirs. But with Ayame here there is a chance that she will distract Sasuke and he will be able to drain both their chakras. Which means that Ayame need to be sure that doesn't happen.

 

With a plan in action, Ayame waited until the two also made the seal and ran to Shino.

 

To her surprise Sasuke also ran and kicked Shino the same time she did, their combined power sending Shino off over the little wall.

 

"Fine. That will count. But you two better finish the other off with a count down!" Sensei said as Ayame watch Shino get up like nothing happened.

 

She would have felt bad if he got hurt.

 

Bring her attention back to Sasuke, she was too late in dodging the punch. But she was able to roll with it, and was able to send a counter strike at the black hair boy.

 

Sasuke tried to twist out of the way, but landed in range of Ayame's next move. 

 

She shifted her weight to one foot as the other swigged out, caching Sasuke in the stomach before he could finish whatever Jutsu he was trying to do.

 

Sasuke grunted but didn't take a step back like Ayame was expecting. Instead she saw a glint in his eye and realize too late she left herself wide open.

 

Sasuke got her onto the ground, and while Ayame was able to flip them around, in the end Sasuke proved to have move physical strength out of the two.

 

"...Five! Uchiha wins!"

 

Sasuke got off of Ayame and she stood up.  They were both panting hard, as that was the longest fight of the day. Maybe even the longest they have ever gone period.

 

"That was a really fun fight Sasuke-kun. Hope we can spare again in the future." Ayame said as she suck her hand out.

 

She hasn't has a reason to talk to Sasuke yet, but the boy was hardly the emo kid she remember from the show. Right now he was just another eight year old.

 

"I would like that." He said with a smile.

 

_ No wonder he has so many fangirls. _ Ayame thought as she returned the smile.

 

They shock as their teacher gather them back and told them what everyone did wrong or right.

 

She had only praise for Ayame and Sasuke though.

 

Ayame wasn't quite sure what she thought of that, because even now she keep thinking back on all the mistakes she made. The only reason she won against Naruto was because he was behind, and Kiba's style was for two. Even her base form was sloppy by the time she fought Sasuke. Nothing that worth the praise Sensei was giving her.

 

When class was over, Ayame noticed Sasuke did run off like usual. Instead he stood around the entrance. Ayame looked at the boy just in time to see his face light up.

 

"Nii-chan!" Sasuke ran towage the teenage boy that could only be Itachi.

 

Ayame froze.

 

She have thought over and over what she could do about the Uchiha massacre, but there was just too much. If Itachi doesn't kill them, a civil war will happen. If Itachi does became a missing nin then there is no spy for the Akatsuki. There was too much at play with events that started long before she was reborn.

 

So Ayame did the only thing she could go, ignore it.

 

But watching Sasuke interact with his brother brought it all back.

 

_ When is it going to happen? _ Ayame couldn't help but think.

 

The only thing she remember what Sasuke looked around this age and it happen on a full moon. Tonight was a full moon, but there was one every month. It will happen soon, but she didn't know how soon.

 

_ What if it happens tonight? _

 

Sasuke might not be in her group of friends, but he was still a kid. Ayame was wondering if this will be the last time the kid ever truly smiles. Before his life goes to hell.

 

Looking back, Ayame would like nothing more than to be able to say it was all part of her plan. That she took the time to figure out the path with the least risk and greatest reward, and took action.

 

Not that it was more or less her word vomiting.

 

"Sasuke-kun! Want to come to my party tonight?" 

 

It was far from being a good plan, or even a plan at all, but it was too late for Ayame to back down now.

 

"You want me at your party?" Sasuke asked, sounding like this was the first time he has ever been invited to a party.

 

"Yes. It's at five at Ino's place. I have a feeling it might be a sleepover too."

 

"You should go. I'll tell our parents while you get your stuff." Itachi said.

 

Ayame tried her best to keep  any  emotion from her face as she watched the Uchiha's leave. The fact that Itachi agreed so readily on Sasuke behalf put her on edge. 

* * *

 

 

It was a great party all in all.

 

Ino was able to invite all of Ayame's friends and their classmates that Ayame was at least social with. It was probably the first party Naruto has ever been invited to, so it was cute how he just got her some Ramen from Ichiraku's. Kiba got her got dog baskets for pukku and the other ninja dogs and a promise to see the new puppy's once they are born. Hinata gave her some beautiful paper and ink for writing seals, while Sakura got her some new books that were from outside the land of fire (she still doesn't know how the pink-haired girl manage that). Shikamaru and Choji gave her a box of homemade goods and a shoji board (coming to the party more because of Ino then Ayame). Then when Sasuke showed up, he gave her a box of kunins without a word.

 

It was going to be a sleepover like Ayame thought, though Hinata wouldn't be spending the night. Even with watching Sasuke out of the corner of her eye, she made a point to talk to everyone and socialize. 

 

Everything was going better than she could have hoped. Naruto was behaving himself and no one has tried to antagonize him. Ino's parent have also been really nice to the boy, which wasn't even something Ayame thought to worry about.

 

"What's up?"

 

"The ceiling?" Ayame said when Sakura pulled her to the side, hand on her hip.

 

"You aren't reading the books I got you."

 

"I'm not sure if you notice, but I'm a little busy right now," Ayame said light heartedly with a smile that did nothing to remove Sakura's pointed look.

 

"That hasn't stopped you before."

 

Ayame shrug and tried moving out of the way. If anyone was going to notice her acting oddly, she assumed it would be Ino or Kakashi. She hasn't seen Kakashi since he left for a mission the other day and Ino has been busy trying to talk to Sasuke.

 

Ayame didn't even consider that Sakura might notice something was up.

 

"Ayame. This is your birthday part, you can do whatever you want. You shouldn't let Ino-chan stop you from talking with Sasuke-kun." Sakura said more quietly.

 

"What?"

 

"You invited Sasuke here. So you should get first dips." Sakura said as if it pained her to do so.

 

_ What? _

 

"Don't worry I'll get Ino-chan away from him." 

 

Then the girl was gone after giving A thumbs up, leaving Ayame to feel even more confused than before. If this was the start of the Sasuke rivalry, she should say something before they lose their friendship over it. But for now she will let Sakura think that was why she was acting weird. A crush was a good cover up for the fact she was worried a whole group of people were being killed as they had fun.

 

Ayame felt like she was going to be sick.

 

"Children dinner is ready!" Ino's mom said as all the kid stopped what they were doing and headed into the other room.

 

Ayame braced herself, putting the smile back on as she followed, looping an arm around Naruto as he complained about Sasuke or something.


	8. Academy Arc: Life Lessons

 

Ayame stayed awake long into the night listening to something that would tell her if she was right in her worries. She was in Ino's room with Sakura while the boys were all in the living room. That might have not been the best idea, but there was yet to be any fights. It was a surprising peaceful party, but it just served to wind Ayame up more. It would have been better if a fight did break out, it would have at least given Ayame something else to worry about.

 

Then, just as she was going to stop the flow of chakra going to her ears to enhance them a little, she heard talking.

 

"The Uchiha boy is still here?" Said who Ayame knew was Ino's dad. 

 

He left soon after dinner for his evening shift. It wasn't a good sign he was already back before sunrise.

 

"Yes I saw the code raised to yellow with a stay at home. The kids don't know yet but I placed barriers around the house. Is it true?"

 

_ Is what true? _

 

There was no verbal answer, but Ayame could imagine what was going on pretty good. Ayame was using up almost all of her chakra just to listen in. It was as if she was hoping that maybe she was just jumping to conclusions. That it wasn't as bad as it sounded.

 

"Poor Sasuke-chan, who could have done that? The clan were stick in the muds, but for someone to just kill them all..."

 

_ Well that killed that theory. _

 

With an silent pop, Ayame's chakra's path went back to normal due to her lack of focus. She looked over the dark room, making out the faces of her friends in the moonlight. Like nothing even happened. Ayame exhaled a breath slowly, when a thought stuck.

 

_Do they not know who did it?_ Ayame tried thinking back if it was common knowledge the massacre was due to Itachi. Sasuke knew because he was there, the Hokage and Danzō knew because they were involved in it. But everyone else? Ayame had no idea, but she would bet it would be easy to use Itachi as a scapegoat.

 

_ Or just leave it up to the unknown. Ninja villages seem to like their people to know less after all. But if no one knows about Itachi then what will happen after the Chūnin exam? Will he still come to make sure Sasuke is still protected?  _

 

There were just too many unknowns. Ayame was still trying to figure out what effect befriending Naruto will have on the 'canon timeline' and it had already been years. How was she going to figure out something as impactful as this?

 

_This is why I always hated probability in math class._ Ayame thought as she laid on her back and tried to get some sleep.

 

If there was one thing she was good at it was pushing things she didn't want to think about aside.

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke was already gone when they woke up. Ino's parents gave some reason Ayame didn't bother listening to and instead waited for everyone to leave so she could go back home.

 

Even Naruto was aware something was wrong and didn't comment on Sasuke's disappearance.

 

When Ayame walked through the civilian part of the village were Kakashi lived, she noticed way more ninja on the roof as normal. The fact that she noticed was telling that Konoha was on high alert. 

 

_Gives me a good reason to ask Kakashi if he's home._ Ayame thought, figuring it would be best to get as much information as she could so she wouldn't slip up and say something she shouldn't know. 

 

Even though Ayame thought that, she didn't expect to find Kakashi just sitting in his chair.

 

"Why are you here?" She couldn't help but ask. Sure Kakashi wasn't ANBU anymore, but a whole clan was just killed! You would think the Hokage would at least keep up appearances and have his best investigate it.

 

"I live here." 

 

Ayame rolled her eyes as she dropped her stuff on the ground and entered the open study.

 

"Yes, but the village seems to be responding to an emergency. I figured the mighty copy-nin would be involved."  Ayame said with a knowing look.

 

Now to see if Kakashi will brush her off or not. 

 

"Hokage-sama told me I wasn't needed."

 

Ayame couldn't help but frown. She was pretty sure Sarutobi knew what happened, and now it was sounding like he was hoping to cover it up. Personally, she liked the old man. But while Ayame knew the Uchiha problem started years ago and while fucking Danzō didn't help, she couldn't help but be frustrated that the Hokage wasn't able to find a more diplomatic solution. Relying on a teenager to kill his family in the name of peace? That was disappointing.

 

"Sasuke left the party early." Ayame said, a plan slowly forming.

 

"The Uchiha compound was attacked last night. There were no survivors." Kakashi bluntly said without even putting his book down.

 

"I-I figured that. It was only them?" Ayame asked, pushing any feeling deep down.

 

"The Uchiha always had quite the number of enemies."

 

Ayame took a deep breath. How could she formulate her next question so Kakashi will not get too suspicious?

 

"Were they just killed or..." Ayame said pointing to her eye.

 

She watched as Kakashi's eye seemed to widen in realization. 

 

Ayame knew by the time Sasuke killed Danzō, he had a arm full of Sharingans. While Ayame had no idea when he got so many, having a massacre like this would be fresh picking for the man. If they weren't going to use Itachi as their scapegoat, Ayame was going to make one up.

 

"Not when they were killed." Was all Kakashi said, but it was all she needed to hear.

 

"And they don't know who did it?"

 

"Not publicly." Kakashi said as Ayame wondered just how far she could push before Kakashi stopped the conversation.

 

It was a good thing the idea of why talking to an 8 year old about a murder case was a bad idea didn't even cross Kakashi's mind. Ayame enjoyed being treated as an adult.

 

"And privately?"

 

There was a long pause and Ayame felt like her heart was pounding out of her chest. Now was the moment she would find out how much things changed. Ayame didn't know if Itachi was public knowledge in the show or not, but Sasuke knew because he was there. Now the question was if they would tell him, or if Itachi's involvement would stay between the council.

 

"There are suspects, but with no way to follow through."

 

_ Does that mean Itachi is no longer a missing nin? _

 

Ayame felt herself nod as she left the room. Her mind was spinning with ideas and worries. It seems her plan to make Kakashi think it was a powerplay was going to work. Still, she didn't think he would be able to do anything about Danzō even if Kakashi found out what he did. Or will do. The doubt was important and Kakashi would be able to do more with it then she ever could.

 

Ayame liked Itachi in the show even before she found out his 'true goals'. Interesting character and all that. So while she still believed murder was bad no matter the reason, she wasn't about to put Itachi on the table. Danzō she didn't like. The whole 'for the greater good' thing was BS and Ayame thought his death was one of the more justified ones in the show. If anyone should have gotten 'credit' for killing the Uchiha clan it should have been that old ass.

 

And if Kakashi was unable to do anything, maybe she'd tell Sasuke in a few years. Use that boy's need for revenge to cause a more positive effect on society. A bit hypocritical, but it was better than trying to think of a way she could have prevented the massacre to begin with. That wouldn't help anyone.

* * *

 

The week long break they had before classes started up again went by quickly. Kakashi was gone for most of it and Ayame spent as much time as she could outside. It was cold, but she found that it was always easier to think outside. And she had a lot to think about.

 

"Hey, Aya-chan? Did something happen to the ba-Sasuke's family?" Naruto asked, breaking one of the rare moments of silence between them.

 

Ayame put down her book to give the blond her full attention before she even registered what he had asked.

 

"You... did you not hear? His whole clan was murdered." Ayame bluntly said, not knowing how else to put it.

 

"What? But that bastard is always saying how strong the Uchiha are. When did it happen?" Naruto yelled loudly enough to cause the adults who were playing with their kids at the park to take them and leave.

 

"Remember when he left my party early?"

 

"Ohhh." Naruto mouthed as he looked at the ground in deep concentration.

 

Silence fell and Ayame shivered. It was getting cold now that the sun was setting. Might even get cold enough for snow.

 

"We should invite him to eat lunch with us once school starts." Naruto said after some minutes, the last rays of sun making the gray sky almost glow.

 

"That's... not a bad idea. He normally would eat with his cousins right? I'll ask Ino and Sakura to turn down their talking a little if he does take up our offer."

 

"Ya, he may be a bastard, but that doesn't mean he should be alone."

 

Ayame looked at Naruto with a slight smile. It always amused her how Naruto was able to be so considerate of others despite all the shit he had to deal with. 

 

"You're right."

 

* * *

 

 

It was easier said than done. Sasuke wasn't in class for the first few days, then when he finally did show up the boy decided that sitting by the window was ideal. On the same side of the room that Naruto and Ayame had been seated for years now.

 

If he wanted to be alone, why did he think taking Naruto's spot was a good idea? Ayame wondered as she wordlessly watched as Naruto alternated between getting mad at the boy and trying to be friendly. It was very interesting to watch.

 

"Urgg. Fine you can sit there. Bastard." Naruto finally said as he moved to slump down next to Ayame before he noticed that Sakura and Ino were already there.

 

"NARUTO TAKE YOUR SEAT!" Their Sensei yelled as he walked in dropping a stack of papers.

 

Naruto mumbled something before plopping down next to Sasuke. Now it was starting to look like the seating arrangement from the show. Which might not have been a good thing from the smug look Sasuke was sporting and the murderous one on Naruto's face.

 

"There is going to be a fight before the week is over, isn't there." Ayame sighed as the teacher started writing on the board.

 

"I give it till the end of the day." Ino said before an evil glint appeared in her eye. 

 

"...Or maybe one of us should sit between them. To keep the peace."

 

"To keep the peace?" Ayame couldn't help but raise a brow at that.

 

"You were the one who brought up that we should, how did you put it? 'expand our little group of friends in a way that doesn't make Sasuke-kun uncomfortable'?"

 

"Naruto already asked if he wanted to join us with lunch." Ayame reminded her, looking up to see if the teacher had noticed their conversation yet.

 

If he did nothing was said.

 

"Yes but that was Naruto. I would have much better luck." Ino said as if that explained anything.

 

"Or Sakura, or even I could." Ayame said before Sakura could say anything of why Ino was the one who would have better luck.

 

"Well I still think-" Ino started to say before a loud thump interrupted.

 

Ayame lifted her head off her hands to look at Ino who was frowning at Sakura. 

 

"You should sit next to Sasuke-kun later and try. Then if you fail you can pick which of us should try next." Sakura said with a smile.

 

"Ok?" Ayame said with a confused expression, until she remembered what Sakura said at her party that seemed so long ago.

 

_She still thinks I have a crush on Duck-ass._ Ayame realized, almost laughing at the thought.

 

But it wasn't a bad idea. The only reason why Ayame normally wasn't seated next to Naruto was because she tended to distract him. The classes were still too easy and Ayame sometimes forgot that that wasn't the case for the other student. But maybe with Sasuke there it would keep Naruto focused?

 

And if it didn't, Ayame would 'pick' Sakura to try next. She was well aware that this was most likely what the pink haired girl was hoping for, but Ayame also hoped it would lead to the future team 7 to become friends.

 

_No idea how that will impact the storyline, but friends are generally a good thing, right?_ Ayame thought as she opened her book on elemental Chakra types that Kakashi left in her room the other day (though it took her four days to find it).

 

Before Ayame was even aware that lunch had started, she saw the shadow of someone standing in front of her.

 

"Just a moment," Ayame said without bothering to look. She was almost done with the chapter.

 

"Uh, Ayame?" Sakura asked giving her a poke.

 

"Humm?"

 

"It's Sasuke-kun," She whispered not so quietly into her ear.

 

"Just a moment Sasuke-kun." Ayame absently said, smiling to herself as Ino and Sakura both sighed in unison.

 

"Well, we'll just leave you too here. See you outside Ayame." Sakura said and pulled Ino with her.

 

Ayame stopped reading, but wanted to see how long Sasuke would be willing to wait. It was weird that he was choosing to speak to her, but it gave her a reason to talk to him.

 

She turned the page.

 

Sasuke remained standing.

 

Another kid left the room and they were the only ones left.

 

By the time Ayame folded the corner of the page to mark her place, she could feel the frustration rolling off Sasuke. Not the best situation, and later Ayame would feel bad about winding him up, but at that point she was grinning.

 

"What's up Duck-butt?" Ayame said, smiling even more from the look of surprise on Sasuke's face. 

 

In her past life, 'what's up chicken butt' was a long time inside joke with her little brother that she could no longer remember the reason for. Unfortunately it didn't sound as good translated, but duck did. Also it was more accurate for Sasuke since he hair was starting to grow out.

 

"I want you to leave me alone." Sasuke said after collecting himself, sounding mad but hardly looking the part.

 

"Well, coming up to me to say that is a little contradictory."

 

"I don't need your friendship, I don't need your pity, so just leave me alone!" Sasuke said in what might be the loudest voice she had ever heard the boy.

 

It was then she realized he was listening into their conversation during class. Not that they were trying to be sneaky, but Ayame could see why Sasuke would be upset.

 

"I'm not doing this because I pity you."

 

"Then you want something."

 

"No? What would I want from you?" Even as Ayame said that, her mind supplied some of the things she had heard others say. The normal 'poor boy' was there among those who commented on what he would do with the compound, his money, the Uchiha secrets. Ayame felt her stomach drop at the thought of adults taking advance of a new orphan like that, but she had a feeling that was indeed what Sasuke was suggesting.

 

"Nevermind, don't answer that." Ayame said waving her hand before Sasuke even opened his mouth. "I just think you shouldn't isolate yourself."

 

"What do you know? Did your whole clan get killed from a ninja no one even knows the name of!" Sasuke demanded, and Ayame frowned.

 

While she understand a little were Sasuke was coming from, he was still acting like a jerk.

 

"No. But my mom was killed and I still remember what it was like." Ayame said slowly, hoping that would be enough.

 

Ayame hadn't thought of that day in years, and wanted it stay that way.

 

"Your mom died?" Sasuke asked, anger starting to drain from his voice.

 

Ayame felt like groaning. She did not want to talk about this. Not now or ever.

 

"It was a missing ninja. I was in the woods and by the time I came back..." Ayame said, swallowing hard in an attempt to keep her emotions down. "When I came back she was already dead. I spent months wondering if I had been back sooner..."

 

"You could have stopped it." Sasuke finished and Ayame looked at him.

 

She didn't realize before how similar their situations sounded. Sure the magnitude was very different, but Ayame had not expected this. 

 

"But even if I did, I would have just been killed alongside her. I wasn't strong enough then, and I'm not now." Ayame continued, starting to become super aware of what she was saying.

 

Sasuke was quiet and listening intently. If he was comparing their situation, then maybe Ayame could put some positive thoughts into his head?

 

"I know nothing I do will change that day, but part of the reason I want to become a ninja is so I wouldn't lose anyone else. That if a next time comes, I can protect people."

 

Sasuke turned his head to look outside. He was trembling ever so slightly and Ayame knew it wasn't from the cold. With a sigh as she pulled her hands down her face, Ayame collected herself. She didn't even tell Kakashi this stuff, and now she told Sasuke? Who barely was a friend? What was up with her today.

 

"Does it get better?" Sasuke asked, pulling Ayame back to the present.

 

"The pain? Not really. People say time heals all wounds, but really it just feels like you get better at dealing with it. Some days are better than others, but you shouldn't expect things to ever go back to the way it was before." Ayame said, well aware that might not be the best thing to say, she wasn't going to lie to him. Enough people already did that.

 

Sasuke just nodded as he continued to look outside, just as Ayame noticed white slowly falling behind it.

 

"Snow?! Holy shit I didn't think it was that cold!" Ayame jumped over the table and opened the window.

 

Sure enough, there were a few flakes falling. Nothing was sticking, but it still looked pretty.

 

"Hn."

 

Ayame turned to see Sasuke looking at her with both eyebrows raised passed his bangs. 

 

"Well, if we are done with the serious talk, would you like to eat lunch with us? You don't need to talk, but just sit with us." Ayame said waving her hand in an attempt to make her words come across better. 

 

_ And I was doing so well before. _

 

"As long as you convince the idiot not to talk." Sasuke said with a smile so small Ayame almost didn't notice it.

 

"That was rude." Ayame said, figuring correctly that he was talking about Naruto.

 

Nevertheless, when they joined the group Ayame promised to buy Naruto some ramen if he didn't speak until classes were done for the day. 

 

He lasted until five minutes after class started up again.


	9. Academy Arc: First Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time goes on.

"Here you go."

 

Ayame took the piece of paper as quickly as she could without tearing it. Kakashi refused to teach her any jutsu until she knew her primary chakra type. While she figured it was just him being lazy and not wanting to take time to teach her, she agreed. Now after a month of studying trying to figure out her type, Ayame remembered a scene from the show where Naruto used Chakra-sensitive paper to determine it. 

 

She was so going to get Naruto to help her prank Kakashi for not telling her that.

 

"I just put my Chakra into it?" Ayame asked even though she knew that was the case.

 

Kakashi didn't say anything besides an affirmative grunt.

 

Ayame held the paper out, slowly pushing some Chakra into it. She watched as it started to crumble, only to burst into flames in the last moment.

 

"Um, what does that mean?"

 

"Seems like you have an affinity for earth and fire."

 

"But I thought you couldn't find your secondary affinity using this method." Ayame question, not liking the look Kakashi was giving her. 

 

He seemed way to interested in this. That was never a good thing.

 

"That's because it can only determine your primary."

 

"And you can have two primary elements?" Ayame asked feeling lost.

 

"Some Kekkei genkai can."

 

For a moment that lasted longer than it really should, Ayame just stared at him confused. Until she remembered that Kekkei genkai weren't just things like the Byakugan or that weird bone thing Kimimaro could do. The ice style that Haku could do was also a Kekkei, one that mixed water with wind.

 

"So I can use fire and earth at the same time? Like flaming rocks or... lava!" Ayame realized, getting excited at the idea of using magma in a fight. 

 

She always found volcanoes interesting.

 

"Yes, though I know the Nohara didn't have any Kekkei genkai. It must be due to the four tails." Kakashi theorized.

 

Ayame smile fell slightly.

 

"So can you still teach me some jutsu's?" Ayame asked, hoping Kakashi wouldn't take this as a reason not to teach her. 

 

Though maybe Ayame could ask Sasuke to teach her the fireball Jutsu. They have started training together after her Kunoichi class.

 

" I know a few earth style Jutsu." Kakashi mused and Ayame couldn't help but roll her eyes. 

 

"I'm sure you only know a few." She commented dryly as they walked outside.

 

"I decided to teach you out of the goodness of my heart and you mock me."

 

"Only 'cause you make it so easy. What are you going to do when you have a Genin team?"

 

"I'm not going to have one." Kakashi said so seriously that Ayame had to do a double look.

 

"Didn't your friend say all Jōnin need to teach?" Ayame asked smiling smugly when Kakashi flinched at the reminder of his green wearing friend.

 

"Not if they fail the second test." Kakashi said and Ayame was surprised he would tell her that. 

 

"Second test?" Ayame asked, curious of what the other Jōnin do.

 

"To see how you work in a team." Kakashi said before stopping suddenly.

 

They were at a familiar training ground that Ayame had never physically been to before. 

 

"Well, how would you like to learn the Double suicide decapitation technique?" Kakashi said with what Ayame hoped was a smile beneath his mask. 

 

Ayame gave a smile back.

 

* * *

 

 

Ayame waited with a book in her lap, not reading, but looking back at the academy doors.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

Ayame looked down at Sasuke who was looking at Ayame like it wasn't uncommon to find her reading in a tree. 

 

"I'm waiting for Naruto to get done with his test." Ayame said as Sasuke huffed.

 

"That Idiot isn't going to pass. We should just train."

 

Ayame sighed, but figured Sasuke was right. She remembered that Naruto failed the test three times, and despite her help with some of the homework, Naruto still had the worst grades. It was to the point where Ayame wondered if the teachers were also sabotaging his grades along with their inability to teach him.

 

"I'll find him later then." Ayame resolved as she jumped down.

 

That would give Naruto some time to come to terms with failing. One night of sadness wouldn't kill him. And maybe she'd have Naruto come over on the weekend to try and make Ramen again. 

 

They went to the third training ground since no one besides Kakashi ever used it, and while he will be getting a team this year, they hadn't been assigned yet. It was a good place where the two of them didn't have to worry about being interrupted.

 

"Want to start off with sparring?" Ayame asked once they were done stretching.

 

"Hn."

 

Ayame took that as a yes, and dropped into a loose fighting stance that was slowly becoming a hybrid of all the different fighting styles she knew. Sasuke took what she assumed was a Uchiha fighting style stance. She had seen enough of it by now to know some of the strengths of it. And more importantly, the weaknesses.

 

A moment passed with the two ten-year-olds staring at each other. Ayame with a playful smile on her face and Sasuke with a look of concentration. 

 

Then the boy started to sign.

 

Ayame rushed forward, already expecting him to start off with a fire Jutsu. It was much easier to start their sparring off with Chakra intensive moves since they were both young and needed a lot of practice. Not to mention they weren't allowed to use Jutsu during taijutsu class so this was the only time they could use it in a 'fight'.

 

She had already closed the distance between them when Sasuke finished the handsigns and unleashed a decently sized fireball that went soaring past her as she rolled out of the way. Then before Sasuke had time to recover, she lunged at him.

 

Sasuke was able to block her first punch, but her follow up kick was able to set him off balance. Ayame tried to use the time to perform her own fireball Jutsu, but she was too slow in the signs and Sasuke sent her flying.

 

Ayame rolled over just in time to avoid the Kunai he threw and started running. She threw a few back at Sasuke, but they all missed. By a lot. Aiming was not one of her strengths. 

 

Instead of that, Ayame headed into the trees in order to get out of his line of vision. Once she felt like she was far enough away, she hid behind a tree. With a few handsigns, she slipped into the ground.

 

She waited underground knowing that Sasuke would be there soon enough. Ayame struggled to keep up the Jutsu up while also trying to enhance her hearing, but luckily Sasuke wasn't trying to be quiet.

 

Step. Step. Step. Step.

 

Ayame waited, the strain of holding her breath starting to show itself. 

 

Step. Step. 

 

_ One...Two...  _

 

Ayame sprung, shooting out of the ground and pulling Sasuke down at the same time. She was only able to pull a foot in, but that was all she needed.

 

"When did you learn that?" Sasuke demanded as he tried pulling his foot out, their spar interrupted for the moment.

 

"A while ago, remember when I told you Kakashi showed me a move called Double suicide decapitation?" Ayame said, grin widening at his look of annoyance.

 

"You're joking. You didn't say that was an actual Jutsu." The boy said with what could only be a pout as he almost lost his balance trying to pull his foot out.

 

Ayame just smiled as she walked away, the sound of Sasuke trying to get his foot out echoing the woods. She was going to go find Naruto and have dinner with him, figuring Ramen would make the blonde feel better about failing.

 

* * *

 

 

It started out with Ayame offering to help Naruto prepare for the next graduation exam. He was freaking out and while Ayame brought up the point he didn't need to take the test, Naruto refused. So in order to help her best friend, she offered to practice with him.

 

"But if you're going to study with me why don't you take it as well? Then we can both be ninjas!"

 

Ayame opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't come up with a good reason. Sure they are recommended to wait until they were 12, but as Naruto had showed there was nothing stopping them from graduating early. Also at this point it would only be one year early. It might be a good thing since she was getting bored at the academy and could probably pass the exam if she really tried. 

 

Then there was the fact that she was wondering what team she would be placed on. The canon-teams worked so well, and Ayame had no idea what her presence would change. But if she were to graduate a year early... well the only team she remembered was Gai's team. There was more of an unknown, but she would prefer that.

 

"You know what? I think I will." Ayame said as Naruto jumped up in the air.

 

Ayame still trained with Sasuke on the weekends, but all of her remaining free time was spent with Naruto studying. It was not going well, and she had no idea why Naruto had such a hard time with Chakra control. She even had him come to her study group with the girls who were now all trying to learn the Mystical Palm Technique. So far Sakura was the only one who could manage to produce at least the green glow.

 

"You need to focus on where it goes Naruto!" Sakura yelled as Naruto looked like he was going to poop his pants.

 

"I'm trying."

 

Ayame looked to Ino who gave her a look back, then to Hinata who was staring at her hand. Out of all of them Sakura had the best control, but it was starting to seem like this was a hopeless situation.

 

"Naruto, maybe you should just wait a year like the rest of us." Ino said sounding fed up with the situation.

 

"No way! I not going to give up, believe it!" Naruto said as both Ino and Sakura sighed.

 

"I-I'm sure you can do it Naruto-san." Hinata said in her quiet voice, but Naruto still heard her.

 

"Of course I will Hinata-chan! I'm going to be Hokage someday."

 

Ayame had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at Hinata's red face. While she did agree to help Naruto 'get with' Sakura, she thought Hinata's crush was cute. All she needed was Sakura getting a crush on Hinata and it would be a full love triangle where she had no idea who to support. 

 

_ And we are only 11. _ Ayame thought to herself as she readied her things.

 

"Hey Naruto, want to meet up for breakfast tomorrow before the test?" Ayame said, interrupting the argument Naruto and Sakura had gotten back into.

 

"Oh ya, can we go to Ramen Ichiraku?"

 

Ayame gave Naruto a resting bitch face because as much as she loved ramen and other noodle dishes, it wasn't what she considered breakfast food. Still, it wasn't like there was a lot of places they could go that wouldn't charge Naruto triple just for being there.

 

"Fine, but I get to pick what we're having." Ayame left with the sound of Naruto complaining behind her.

 

That night was a quiet one between Kakashi and Ayame. When she told him of her decision to try graduating early, he reacted strangely. Well, strange for Kakashi since she wasn't expecting him to say much about it. Instead they had quite the conversation on why she wanted to graduate now, and why she was trying to be a ninja in general. Ayame wasn't sure what to make of it, and didn't ask.

 

Still, when morning came Ayame was calm. The combination of her memory of the show and Kakashi's blunt explanation of what the test would be like made Ayame completely at peace with the situation. 

 

"Your chopsticks are upside down." Ayame pointed out.

 

"Oh thanks Aya-chan" Naruto said as he continued staring at this bowl.

 

"How late were you up last night?" Ayame asked as she leaned over to see that Naruto's eyes were half-lidded.

 

"I didn't."

 

"You didn't sleep last night? Why?" Ayame asked, noting that both Teuchi and his daughter Ayame were listening in with worried expressions.

 

"I wanted to look over that guide you gave me." Naruto mumbled as he started eating, though most of it missed his mouth.

 

By the time they finished eating, Ayame had to drag Naruto to the Academy. Not that it helped much when Naruto ended up falling asleep during the written test. Then when Ayame tried waking him up, the teacher who was overseeing them, told Naruto his time was up.

 

Ayame was pretty sure by that point she was giving the teacher some killer-intent.

 

Practicals went better, if only because the teacher had a good reason not to pass Naruto. Still, they both did well in the Transformation Jutsu and Taijutsu. But Naruto messed up both the replacement Jutsu and the clone.

 

"Here's your Hitai-ate Nohara-chan." The teacher said, giving Ayame the headband.

 

She looked over to Naruto, knowing that he didn't pass but also wishing that it hadn't the case. 

 

"Aya-chan! We should celebrate later." Naruto said, forcing a smile.

 

"I suppose we should." Ayame said, closing her hand around the metal.

 

She'd have a few days before teams would get assigned. Then the real challenges would start.

 

Ayame felt woefully unprepared.


	10. D-Rank Arc: Team 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayame meets her team.

The next few days were much busier than Ayame anticipated. Apparently Ino and Sakura wanted to give her a good outfit since she would be a Genin now. Which meant that she was avoiding them until Naruto of all people was required to find and capture her. 

 

There was rope involved and amused looks from the store owners, since they were used to such antics from ninja folk.

 

In the end, Hinata and Naruto sided with Ayame on just getting some Kohona standard clothes and that was what Ayame got. It was more of a light blue instead of the navy Ayame had been sporting since Ino had said she needed more girly colors.

 

Whatever that meant.

 

The best part had been when they went to one of the many weapon stores and Ayame had used most of her allowance from Kakashi on Chakra ink and kunais. If she had enough then maybe her horrible aim wouldn't matter. Especially if she'd put explosion tags on all of them.

* * *

 

 

"I'll see you later Naruto." Ayame said as she left the boy at the ramen stand.

 

In response he mumbled something with his mouth full. Ayame waved, but she was already pressing for time.

 

Only the graduates needed to go to class today, so Ayame had been surprised Naruto even agreed to meet up for breakfast when he could have been sleeping. It turned out Naruto forgot he had the day off, though all complains quickly ended when Ayame gave him the rest of her meal.

 

Even though she had hardly spent a moment worrying about the test, now that she would be finding out about her new team, nerves were starting to show. Once again she was glad Naruto gave her this idea. While Ayame decided she would be fine with changing from the story she remembered, it would be bad if she was on a team that she knew had someone else. She would always be comparing it and planning for the future. With how playing shogi against Shikamaru went, long term planning was not one of her strengths. The more spontaneous and adapting kind of plan suited Ayame much better. 

 

So she was trying her best not to think of all the different ways today could end. It would be much better to have no expectations and come up with a plan later. She'd have a year before Naruto and the others graduated, so it would be a year before she could even try to change the 'canon' events.

 

With that mindset, Ayame entered the room.

 

As she thought, there was only a handful of kids she even recognized. There was a girl that was in Ayame's class, but she wasn't friends with her and didn't remember her name. Then Neji was sitting prim and proper over where Sasuke would normally sit ( _ was that just the brooding corner now? _ ), and Tenten was seated with some other girls that looked to be her age.

 

For the life of her, Ayame couldn't find Rock Lee. Which was sad since he was one of her favorite Characters to play as in the Naruto fighting games in her past life and she wanted to see him.

 

A little worried, Ayame took a empty seat next to a boy who was talking animatedly to a girl that was asleep. The spiky ponytail suggested she was part of the Nara clan while the boy had chakra markings that she didn't recognize. From a small clan then.

 

Looking around, Ayame noticed there was a much more even gender split in this class then her old one. All the noteworthy teams from the show had one girl and two boys, and Ayame never really questioned why. When she started at the academy there were many more girls but a lot of them had been civilian and had dropped out before they had started learning Jutsus. But if this really was everybody who would be formed into teams, there would be no way it would be the 'two boys one girl'-combo.

 

Which meant that any combination of the kids here could be her future squad mates.

 

Felling a little more self-conscious, Ayame pulled out one of her journals and looked over it. During her first few months living with Kakashi, she had decided to try and write down everything she could remember from  the show. Which wasn't a whole lot since by that time  it had already been five years in this life plus a few years from when she had watched the show last. She probably remembered more fanfiction of the Naruto world than canon events. 

 

So she wasn't surprised to see that the only information she had on this graduation was that Tenten, Neji and Lee formed a team under Gai-Sensei. 

 

_ Why do I even carry this around? _ Ayame thought bitterly as she shoved it back into her bag. 

 

"Is everyone here?" A teacher asked as he walked in. It was one that Ayame hadn't met yet. Honestly she had been thinking it would be Iruka or Mizuki since they were the teachers of the 'graduating class'. It seemed there was another one that had never substituted for their class. 

 

"Looks like it. Well, I'm sure you don't want to be here any more than I do so let's get this over with." The teacher said, clearing his voice as he brought forth a piece of paper.

 

"In team one, we have Fujita Etsuko, Tenten, and Nara Isamu under Aburame Shibi."

 

_ Wait, what? _

 

Ayame looked over to see Tenten get up along the the boy sitting at her desk to follow a man wearing sunglasses who had not been there before.

 

_ Why isn't Tenten with Lee and Neji? Did I really already mess up that team, out of the ten that will be assigned? _

 

"And for team two we have Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Nohara Ayame under Maito Gai."

 

_ FUCK! Why am I paired with them? I'm not a weapon master like Tenten is! _

 

Before she even had a chance to break out of her 'what the hell?!' mindset, someone else beat her to it.

 

"Now Where Are My Youthful Students!" 

 

With a puff a smoke not unlike Kakashi's, Maito Gai was standing, not at the doorway like the other Sensei had been, no, he was in front of the teacher. Where everyone could see him. Posing.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Ayame saw that Neji hesitated in his movement to get up. 

 

Probably wondering what he has gotten himself into. She thought with a smirk as she gathered her courage to get up. At least she knew Gai and likes him. More or less.

 

"I am Rock Lee. It is nice to meet you Maito Gai Sensei." Said a boy with straight shaggy hair that went to the tips of his ears wearing a white tunic with black trim.

 

_ No wonder I didn't notice him! Lee hasn't gotten his bowl-cut or his green jumpsuit yet, this is his first time meeting Gai _ . Ayame realized, mentally slapping herself in the forehead.  _ Those eyebrows though... _

 

"What A Spirited Student! Let’s Go To The Tea House Across The Street To Talk More. Keep Up My Students!" Gai said as he ran out of the room at a speed no Genin could even hope to match, a cloud of dust the only thing showing he had even been there to begin with.

 

"Come on. I know the tea house he is probably talking about." Ayame said to a very shocked looking Lee.

 

"Oh, good. I'm Rock Lee." The boy said with the same energy as before.

 

"I'm Ayame." She said after a pause, looking to see Neji already had left them. 

 

_ Already off to a great start. _

 

Once they got out of the building, Lee took off to catch up with Neji. Though she could hear Lee introducing himself and talking about how excited he was to be on a team, not a word of what Neji said back reached her.

 

Ayame couldn't remember much about Neji beside him beating up Hinata in the Chūnin exam and having a seal on his forehead. Still, those things happened a year from now, and might not even happen. 

Lee waited for her at the entrance of the tea house and they walked in together. 

 

"This Way My Students. The Wonderful Host Is Letting Us Use His balcony To Talk!" Gai said as he  dashed up the stairs.

 

Ayame looked to the host, a teenage boy who was looking relieved that Gai left the main area. She got the feeling the balcony hadn't been given to them out of the goodness of his heart but for the other guests' sanity.

 

The three kids soon followed, arriving at a balcony with a bench along the wall with plants hanging everywhere. It was probably a very popular spot during the summer months.

 

"Ok Now That Everyone Is Here, Let's Get To Know Each Other. Ayame, What Are Your Hopes And Dreams That Drive You?"

 

"Ok, well I'm Nohara Ayame. My hopes... are to become a Ninja strong enough to protect my friends. Or is that more of a dream?" Ayame said with a nervous laugh. She was somewhat used to Gai, but with the way Lee was staring at her unblinking and Neji giving her a side look...

 

Not the most encouraging crowd.

 

"I Would Expect No Less Of A Noble Dream From My Rival's Kid." Gai said and Ayame rolled her eyes. 

 

"Now What About You?"

 

"I am Rock Lee, and I want to become the best Shinobi ever without the use of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu!" Lee said boldly and Ayame was about to give him some positive feedback for his goal until there was a chuckle.

 

Lee and Ayame snapped their head to look at Neji who almost had a smile on his face.

 

"What a stupid dream. You can never get far with just one type of Jutsu."

 

"What? If I train hard enough of course I will!"

 

"No matter how much you train, you will never overcome those who are the best without even trying. It is foolish to try to fight your fate." Neji said in a monotone tone.

 

"Well, Then. What Are Your Hopes And Dreams?" Gai said before Lee or Ayame could say anything back.

 

It seemed that what Ayame could remember about Neji was right. He was a complete jackass who thinks putting others down will make his life better. Not to mention she doesn't agree with his ideology. She knew that with enough work and help you could achieve anything. Sure it wasn't the easy path, but it wasn't pointless. 

 

_ Also the whole idea that your life is planned out the moment you are born rubs me the wrong way.  _ Ayame thought as she listened to Neji unsurprisingly stating not have any dreams.

 

"Now With That Out Of The Way I Can Tell You About Your Next Test."

 

Ayame nodded, but Lee cried out 'WHAT?' and even Neji looked surprised. Maybe Kakashi wasn't supposed to tell her that?

 

"Yes, This Test Isn't To determined If You Can Be Genin, But To Determined If You Can Be On TEAM Gai!" Gai said sticking a pose. 

 

Ayame gave her best unamused face even though she secretly found Gai’s antics to be hilarious. Or at least it was funny to see the other's reactions to his actions.

 

Neji for example looked like he was reconsidering his decision to be a ninja.

 

"What happens if you fail?" The boy asked as he looked to Lee.

 

_ Ever heard of subtlety? _

 

"You Will Be Placed In The Genin Corps Or Placed Back In The Academy For Another Chance At A Genin Team." Gai said before pulling three scrolls out.

 

_ I have a feeling this isn't going to be like Kakashi's bell test. _ Ayame worried as she took one of the scrolls wondering if she should open it now.

 

"Now You Can Open Them As Soon As I Leave, But First Some Rules." Gai said as all three of them perked up.

 

"One, If You Are All Caught, You All Fail. Two, If Only One Person Finished This Mission, You All Fail. And Lastly, This Mission Will Play Some Of Your strengths  And Weaknesses, So Sticking Together Might Help."

 

"That last one doesn't sound like a rule." Ayame pointed out, itching to know what was in the scroll. 

 

_ Is he going to test us with a real mission? _

 

"It Is A Suggestion. In The End It Will Be Up To You Three To Figure Out The Best Way To Finish The Mission. It Will Begin Tomorrow At 7 O'Clock Sharp!" Gai said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

 

"...And he's gone." Ayame said before bring her attention to the scroll.

 

Lee was already getting ready to opening it while Neji was just staring at it.

 

It looked to be just a normal scroll and Ayame slid her finger under the tape to open it. Only it didn't break.

 

"Why wouldn't this open!" Lee yelled and she looked up to see her new team-mate also having trouble opening it.

 

"Of Course he wouldn't make this easy." Ayame murmured as she looked for a seal that would enforce the tape . Sure, if she channeled some Chakra into her muscles she could just rip it open, but that would also destroy the scroll.

 

"Found it!" She exclaimed as she spotted a small character along the edge of the scroll.

 

"Found what?" Lee asked as he leaned over.

 

"The seal keeping us from opening it. It looks to be a standard reinforcement-seal, it is used for travel crates. I didn't know you could even use them to keep scrolls closed." Ayame said as she showed Lee the symbol.

 

"Oh, so we just need to break it." 

 

"Disrupting the chakra flow should be enough." Ayame said as she wiped the ink off. There was soft popping noise and she wasted no time in trying to open it.

 

"It worked!" Lee said, and returned to do the same on his scroll.

 

Ayame smile fell when Neji got up.

 

"There's a seal on the scroll." Ayame pointed out in case he was brooding too loudly to hear them.

 

"I already finished reading it." 

 

"What? But you didn't even open it how..." Ayame asked as Neji turned his Byakugan on.

 

"Ah right. Well you could have told us." Ayame pointed out, trying not to feel stupid for not figuring that out. The whole point of those eyes is that they can see chakra and see threw things.

 

Neji still left, apparently already tired of the two.

 

"You know I was going to suggest talking about our skills, but whatever." Ayame called after him, hoping he wouldn't come back. It was like his face was just begging someone to punch him! 

 

"Oh that's a excellent idea Ayame-chan!"

 

Ayame nodded as she briefly looked over the mission. It was... very vague. There was an item they needed to get, but that was it. No names or descriptions. 

 

"You had high enough skill in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu to graduate early despite you low skill in Genjutsu. And you" Neji said with a slight tilt of his head in Lee's direction, "can only perform Taijutsu." 

 

Ayame looked up to see Neji had come back and was staring at Lee as one would a bug.

 

"I was talking about specific skills. For example, while I will admit I have awful skill in weapons, I have figured out a way to overload a scroll with projectiles. Something that is useful for large groups or a distraction. Then besides the Ninjutsu we learned in the Academy, I also know how to summon, fire Jutsu, and an earth Jutsu. Your turn." Ayame said, in a voice that sounded much calmer than she currently felt.

 

"I'm a Hyūga prodigy. I am skilled in all necessary areas."

 

For a moment Ayame just stared at him, for how could anyone be that self-centered? Also this would have been the perfect time to brag about his skills, and instead he said a vague thing like that?

 

"If that was the case, I'm pretty sure you would already be a Jōnin."

 

"I am well versed in the Hyūga style, and that is all you need to know."

 

Ayame stopped herself from rolling her eyes at the boy, but still gave him a look that could freeze hell over.

 

"So do you know any other Jutsus bar the Academy ones? What ninja tools do you use."

 

"I use the standard. And since Lee has nothing else to say, I will be going now." Neji said as he turned around sharp enough for his hair to spin out behind him.

 

_ It's like he's a damn supermodel or something _ . Ayame thought as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying that out-loud. 

 

_ Do ninjas even have supermodels? There's movie actors and stuff but...  _ She was getting really off topic.

 

"Well let's meet up at the training ground early tomorrow to go over everything. I'm going to check to see if I can't find out what we even need to get." Ayame said, looking at the scroll one more time.

 

"Why would Gai-Sensei give us a locked scroll that only says were we are meeting tomorrow." Lee asked, and isn't that the question of the day.

 

"He's testing us." Was Neji ever so helpful response, and...

 

"I thought you were leaving?" Ayame just had to point out, and with a smirk added, "Or did you just realize how awesome we are and decided to brainstorm with us?"

 

Neji scrunched up his nose at the mere thought that they could be something other than the dirt below his feet, and finally left.

 

"Let's meet up at five ok?" Ayame called after him, hoping that two hours would be enough. Gai wasn't like Kakashi and always showed up right on the clock.

 

Neji gave a grunt that wasn't too unlike what Sasuke sounded like.

 

_ At least Duck-butt isn't that bad off.  _ Ayame thought before getting up herself.

 

"I'm going to check the library. The whole locked scroll makes me wonder if that was a clue... and maybe the item we need to get has to do with Fūinjutsu."

 

"Oh, that's a good point. If Gai-Sensei means to test us to see how we can finish this mission together, then this would be information gathering." Lee said, and Ayame was a little surprised at his textbook response. Though since Lee can't do ninjutsu and still graduated, his test scores must have been fairly good as well.

 

_ Seems he doesn't limit himself to working hard in just Taijutsu. _

 

"Lee if you are up for it, I would welcome the help." Ayame offered. At the very least he might keep her from falling asleep.

 

"Of Course Ayame-chan!" Lee yelled as he shot up.

 

"Ah, Thank you. Knowing it might be related to Fūinjutsu doesn't give us too much of a lead, so the more general we think the better. Maybe you can look at people who use or sell them and I'll focus on the different types?" Ayame suggested, feeling a little guilty of using Lee for the work she didn't want to look into.

 

This would be the first time she entered the library as a Genin, there was so much new information she needed to look into.

 

"Right! And If I can't find out every person who can make a seal in Kohona then I'll run 80, no 200 laps around the village!" Lee said with a fist in the air.

 

If this was an anime instead of her life, Ayame imagined there would be sweat-dropping right now.

 

"Why not make it 100, and I'll join you if I fail my quota." Ayame said, since they just graduated from the Academy where they would do max 200 laps around the village square, not the whole village. It would do no good if Lee were to pass out tomorrow.

 

When Lee didn't say anything back, Ayame looked to him.

 

_ Why is he looking at he like that... and why is the sun setting now of all times? _

 

"Ayame-chan! I would be honored to have you train with me! Let's run to the library and finish so we'll be done before the moon rises." Lee said before taking off, not even bothering to see if Ayame would join him.

 

_ Why do I get the feeling I made a horrible mistake? _

 


	11. D-Rank Arc: The Test To End All Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not the bell test.

"Oh, you're back already."

 

Ayame just glared at Kakashi who was already eating.

 

"Don't worry, I left some for you." The man said as he pulled his mask back up,  pointing at the plate with his other hand.

 

"Thanks." Ayame said as she rubbed her eyes.

 

She ended up spending three hours with Lee looking over everything they could get on Fūinjutsu with with Genin clearance. It ended up still being way more then the two of them could realistically get through. Yet Lee refused to give up (not that Ayame was going all the way to give up) and so the two filled one of her journals completely with two word notes. One being the name of the object the other a one word description. They did some pretty good work considering, though they were only able to go through half of the information.

 

She ended up running laps with Lee. Even fresh out of school he was still faster than her.

 

"So, what do you think of your team mates?" Kakashi asked in a tone that let Ayame know the he knew exactly who her team was. Which isn't too surprising since Kakashi was a bit nosy when he wanted to be, and the team set up should be something all the Jōnins know. 

 

"They're fine. Rock Lee is very determined; he reminds me of Naruto but more willing to study." Ayame said between bites as Kakashi hummed. "Then there's Hyūga Neji. He's some kind of prodigy and seems like a loner. And as you know, Gai is our Sensei."

 

"So you think it will be a good team?"

 

_ A good team? They had been one of the best teams when Tenten was on it. _

 

"It could be." Ayame said before shaking her head and grabbing her plate. "Anyways, I'm going to bed now since I'll be waking up early tomorrow."

 

"I'm also making my little Genin meet up early tomorrow."

 

"So you'll be there around noon." Ayame said giving him a blank look.

 

"How rude, what happened to the little girl that would follow me around?"

 

"I never followed you around. You might have early signs of alzheimer's old man." Ayame joked, nearly laughing at Kakashi overreacting at being called old.

 

"I'm not old yet."

 

"Right, you are just full of hip and cool vibes."

 

"Ok, off to bed. You're starting to get delusional." Kakashi said as he picked Ayame up.

 

"Awe, but I wanted to practice my Gai-Sensei impression some more. Maybe I could even get a youthful green jumpsuit like his." Ayame continued, causing Kakashi to physically shudder at the mental image.

 

"I liked it better when you just wore my old clothes. That was cute."

 

"Well maybe if I was on your team I would go back to wearing that."

 

"Nah, you'll do better on Gai's team. If he passes you that is." Kakashi said tossing Ayame into her bed like a sack of potatoes.

 

"I'll pass." Ayame said with more confidence than she was feeling. 

 

Kakashi gave a nod as he left Ayame alone to get ready for the next day.

 

* * *

 

 

Ayame ended up bringing what would have been way too much if it wasn't for storage scrolls. As it was, she had three small scrolls and two medium sized ones in different pockets. One filled with an assortment of supplies and the others filled with projectiles and explosives. 

 

Hopefully she wouldn't have to use them since Ayame had only tested them a few times against Sasuke, and that didn't turn out as well as she planed. Ayame didn't want to go back to the academy nor go into the Genin Corps, so for now she'd just have to remain on Gai's team. Assuming that she could even pass the test because this was the first time the memories of her past life wouldn't help her.

 

Ayame had no idea what to expect and her mind was racing through hundreds of different scenarios.

 

Making her way downstairs, triple checking her stuff, only to pause on the stairs when the smell of food hit her.

 

_ Why was Kakashi cooking? _

 

Ayame turned the corner to see Kakashi wasn't cooking, but there was food that was still warm on a plate. As she sat down to set, her eyes caught a note sticking out from under the plate.

 

You were pacing too loudly so I made breakfast. Good luck.

 

Ayame snorted to herself, but was still touched by the note. It was something that her parents in both lifetimes would do. 

 

Then come five o'clock, Ayame arrived at the training ground to find that Lee and Neji were already there.

 

" 'Morning." Ayame mumbled, stifling a yawn.

 

Lee whipped around to see her while Neji gave something that could count as a nod. 

 

"Good Morning Ayame-chan! Did you sleep well?" Lee said way to animated for this early in the morning.

 

"Ya, and you?"

 

"I had quite the restful night."

 

Ayame nodded absentmindedly as she sat next to the two boys, giving the training ground a good look. It was on the mountain side of the village with one of the forests bushing against the other side. The standard training posts around the place looked to be well used. 

 

_ Is this where Gai prefers to train? Or is this just a generic training ground? _ Ayame wondered before noticing that Lee was talking.

 

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

 

"Oh, I was just wondering if you had any more ideas of what the test will be. I already told Neji-san what we talked about yesterday while we were waiting for you."

 

"Wait, how early did you two get here?"

 

_ I got here just at five, and they were not talking when I arrived... _

 

"I skipped my morning training today and came straight here! Then Neji-San arrived not to much later to take a look at the place."

 

Which didn't really answer Ayame's question, but since digital clocks had only been around for a few years, 24 hour time isn't strictly kept in their minds like in the world of her past.

 

"Did you find anything of interest?" Ayame asked Neji, as she was planning on doing a survey of their surroundings in case Gai's test would stay in this area.

 

"If there is a fight there are some different terrains to be of use."

 

"No traps?"

 

"Not even a stray kunai." Neji said, which is odd.

 

Most of Naruto's supply came from strays they found lying around. The fact there were none that the Hyūga could see was concerning.

 

Only a few conversations passed as they stretched and waited for Gai to arrive. Then as the alarm clock Lee brought rang, there was...

 

"A turtle? Where's Gai-Sensei?" Lee yelled, causing both Ayame and Neji to flinch.

 

"Naahh!" the turtle yelled, though it sounded muffled. Like a dog trying to bark with a toy in their mouth.

 

"Is that a scroll in it's mouth?" Ayame asked, feeling like the test has started and she studied the wrong book.

 

"Oh, so we must fight this turtle to get the scroll?" Lee asked before dropping into the academy Standard stance.

 

Ayame looked at the large turtle, that was probably a tortoise, but that wasn't important at the moment. Neji already has his Byakugan out and was frowning.

 

The brown hair girl didn't even had time to take a step before Lee started, already moving faster than anyone Ayame has seen.

 

"Ah aaa!" Lee yelled after being bit on the leg and thrown into the trees. All without the turtle/tortoise removing the scroll from their mouth.

 

"Idiot." Neji mumbled before racing to also try, only slightly slower as Lee.

 

_ Maybe I should invest in some weights. _ Ayame thought briefly as she watched the prodigy trying to get the turtle who looked to be sleeping now. 

 

"Taijutsu doesn't seem to be working," Ayame said, noting the shell was absorbing Neji's punches. Most likely this was Gai's summon, not a fighting type but a defense type. Meaning while slow it would be great for transporting important information.

 

As soon as Neji got out of the way, Ayame started signing to send a small fireball at the turtle.

 

"Well, I suppose I can't just ask you to give us the scroll, right?" Ayame joked as she inhaled a deep breath.

 

Only for the turtle to drop the scroll and disappear in a puff of smoke.

 

Ayame released the chakra she was building for the Jutsu, which felt like she snorted milk out of her nose, before walking over to pick up the scroll. It was the same as the one Gai gave them yesterday, and once Ayame took the seal off, she read it out loud.

 

"To my most youthful students, in order to become part of team Gai you must find a set of items around the village. Then when the sun sets over our youthful past, I will see how you three did. Your first hint is to find what is missing." 

 

Neji took the scroll as Ayame glared at it fearing the worst.

 

"Is he really making us go on a scavenger hunt?" Ayame asked with thinly veiled disgust.

 

"It seems so." Neji said sounding equally disappointed.

 

There had been a few times Ayame did participate in a scavenger hunt, mostly for team building. It tended to be a thin line between fun and annoying, more often crossing the line more than once during the hunt.

 

With her ninja career on the line, Ayame didn't feel like treating this as a joke like she normally would have.

 

"To find what's missing..." Lee repeated to himself in thought, seeming to be the only one who was excited about Gai's 'test'.

 

"The kunais!" Lee yelled causing Neji to look away from the scroll.

 

"So a weapon shop? Or a Shinobi weapon repair, something in the shopping district." Ayame theorized with a slight sigh.

 

"Only one way to find out!" Lee said with a wide smile that Ayame unenthusiastically returned before turning to Neji.

 

"Can you see Chakra signatures left behind by seals with your Byakugan?" Ayame asked noting Lee's confused look from the corner of her eye.

 

"You think since he took the time to seal both scrolls that this 'item' we need to find will have something similar?"

 

"Oh! That's how it connects, Gai-Sensei must be really smart to come up with that. We can not fail now!" Lee announced and this time Ayame gave a real smile. 

 

It was much easier staying in a good mood when surrounded by positive people like Naruto and Lee.

 

"We should get going then. Depending on what this item is, the set could be anywhere from two to ten things." Neji said as he took the lead, not even bothering to see if Ayame and Lee were following his half-run.

 

_ This is going to suck, isn't it? _ Was Ayame’s only thought as she followed Neji.

* * *

 

 

Naruto felt his smile fall as he waved goodbye to his friends. A week ago, this would be when Ayame appeared out of nowhere to walk home with him. But his oldest friend was now a ninja.

 

Naruto wanted to pass so badly this time, he practiced so much and took time every night to read the scrolls Iruka-Sensei gave him. Naruto really thought he would pass this time, then Ayame and him would both be ninjas. But instead only Ayame passed. And he was the one who pushed her to try for the test early. 

 

"Urgh, that's enough. I'm just going to get some ramen to cheer me up!" Naruto yelled to the world, earning a few looks that the blond expertly ignored.

 

With the self-promise of Ichiraku's, Naruto's fox grin was back in full and soon the boy was running through the streets.

 

That is until he heard a very familiar voice.

 

"Neji, just get it over with then we can be done with this idiotic search!"

 

Naruto stopped to see Ayame with two boys standing in front of Ichiraku's that was less busy than usual. He was too far away to hear what this Neji person said in return, but soon he saw the long haired boy move... and dance?

 

"Oh thank you very much Hyūga-San." Naruto heard the older Ayame say, looking like she was getting ready to laugh.

 

"No, thank you Ayame-chan." His friend said before the three ran off, leaving Naruto in the dust.

 

What did he just witness?

 

* * *

 

 

"Well, You Three Made It Here Before Night Fall." Gai said with his back turned.

 

"Here's your tea set Gai-Sensei." Neji said as he placed the box down.

 

The sun was just starting to set, and honestly Ayame wanted nothing more than to sleep and never remember this accursed day again. But Gai still hadn't said they passed yet.

 

"Thank You. Now There Is One Last Part Before You Three Can Pass. I Have A Question For You Three."

 

_ A question?  _

 

The three newly made Genin waited for Gai to continued. Ayame figured that the point of the scavenger hunt was team building, similar to the bell test. Then the meet and greet yesterday was about their motivations. So what else does a Jōnin need to know to put them on the Jōnin track instead of Genin Corps? What's the difference between a Genin team and the Genin Corps?

 

"What Do You Think Of My Outfit?" Gai said dramatically as he turned around, the sunset firmly behind him so his head was blocking the sun.

 

"You, want our opinion about your clothes?" Ayame asked, because what was the point of that? Ayame would expect Kakashi to pull something like this just to troll people, but Gai? She thought he was a bit more... serious?

 

"That Is Right Ayame-Chan. Now You Have Until The Sun Finishes Setting To Tell Me Your Honest Opinion."

 

_ Honest opinion? What does honestly have to do with being a ninja? _

 

"I think you're outfit is great Gai-Sensei!" Lee said to only Neji's surprise. 

 

_ Does he just want this team to be honest? Like how Kakashi had his 'look beneath the underneath'.  _

 

"I think it isn't practical." Neji said, probably wanting to say something else but Gai was a Jōnin. Not a person you want to hate you.

 

"Um, I think... It fits you." Ayame said because she still has trouble looking at Lee and not seeing the mini green jumpsuit. She couldn't even consider what Gai would look like without it.

 

Gai nodded at their answers and started humming loudly to himself. 

 

Ayame looked behind the man to see the sun had almost set. Was he really waiting to the last moment to tell them if they passed?

 

"WELL!" Gai finally said, make Ayame jump a little. "I Can Only Think Of One Outcome. Welcome To TEAM GAI!"

 

Lee yelled along with Gai and Ayame smiled as Lee hugged her. 

 

She didn't even notice that Neji had left as soon as Gai told them to meet up at the training ground tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a poll up on my Fanfic profile about who/if Ayame should romance. At the very least i'm taking it as who Ayame should spend more time with, so go to www.fanfiction.net/~calcu22 if your interested.


	12. D-Rank Arc: Ninja Chores

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to come back to edit this. Someday...

That night as Ayame was walking back, Kakashi popped up next to her.

 

"Before you ask, we passed." Ayame told him.

 

Kakashi didn't even bother to look up from his Icha Icha book.

 

"Gai-Sensei made us go on a scavenger hunt of all things. I was about ready to kick 'Hyūga-san' in the head by the end." Ayame continued, wishing she brought her scarf.

 

But having something that could be easily pulled wasn't good for a ninja to have. Definitely not for a fresh Genin.

 

"I failed my team."

 

"Not too surprising. Did you do that bell test again?" Ayame asked even though she already knew the answer.

 

"The Kunoichi figured out the point was teamwork, but the two boys refused to listen."

 

"So did you send them back to the academy?"

 

"The girl I recommended for another path. The boys are most likely going to stay in the corp. They will never be higher than Chūnin." Kakashi said with a slight shrug as he turned the page.

 

Ayame figured that 'another path' was Kakashi's way of saying ANBU. Even though he was technically retired from the shadowy organization, Ayame suspected he still pulled missions from time to time. Usually when Kakashi left without telling her, because ANBU was the only time he tried to be on time.

 

Ayame nodded as she followed Kakashi down to the more commercial part of the sector. 

 

Looks like we're eating out tonight.

 

Ayame felt some tension leave her shoulders during the dinner. She was still having conflicting feelings on what to change from 'canon'. This was her life, so at the end of the day she would do whatever made sense in that moment, but having foresight was useful. Ever since she found out she would on Gai's team, there had been a feeling that nothing was going to go the way she remembered. But with Kakashi failing another team, it seemed like Naruto's team would still be his first Genin team.

 

It was a comfort that Ayame didn't know she wanted. 

 

But now she had a year before the real events started happening, which no matter what she'd decide, she would need to get stronger. 

 

* * *

 

"GOOD MORNING MY STUDENTS!" Gai announced at six sharp, Ayame having arrived only minutes before.

 

"Good morning Gai-Sensei" The three of them said, though in vastly different tones.

 

"Now Before We Get Our First Mission, Let's Run A Few Laps To Get That Blood Pumping." Gai said pulling out four shields that looked a lot like turtle shells.

 

Ayame rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she stood there. She had just started telling Son Gokū about the Dragon Ball story and now Gai wanted then to run with turtle shaped weights?

 

"Those Are Ten Pound Weights (4.5kg). From Now On Whenever Team Gai Is In The Village We Will Be Running Along The Wall While Wearing Them. Then After Some Time You will Add More Weights." Gai said pointing to his leg warmers. 

 

Which were weights. Go figure.

 

"Ok Gai-Sensei! How many laps should we do? 200, 300?"

 

"Start With 50. Then We Will Begin Our First Mission."

 

"Hai!" Lee said as he pulled the shell on like a backpack.

 

Ayame grabbed hers and tested the weight. Well, it wasn't as heavy as her school backpack in her past, so this shouldn't be too bad. Of course it wasn't like she had ever run with said backpack, but she walked a few miles. With Chakra infused in her muscles this should be easy.

 

* * *

 

 

It wasn't. Ayame felt like her legs were going to fall off and they still had a mission to do.

 

"Babysitting, Fixing up a civilian garden, organizing the first level of the library, or cleaning up training ground three." One of the desk Chūnin listed off.

 

Ayame couldn't believe people paid for Genin to perform the tasks. She had seen civilians who were homeless and jobless, why were these jobs going to kids instead of people who could use the money?

 

"Gardening Sounds Like An Excellent Mission For My Students!" Gai said once it became clear no one felt like speaking up.

 

The highlight of the run was Neji tripping and falling in a mud-puddle near the end. That was funny.

 

"Here." The man said giving Gai the mission scroll.

 

Moving again, Ayame tried her best to alleviate the soreness in her muscles. Zinc is supposed to help with lactic acid build up, but it's not like it is sold here in the basic form. Does Fish have zinc? Fish has omega 3, which is good for your skin. Maybe after this she'd see if Naruto wanted to get some sashimi with her. That one restaurant they went to wasn't too horrible to him, though maybe it was because it was owned by the Akimichi clan.

 

"You Are all Quite This Morning." Gai interrupted Ayame thoughts, which lead to Lee talking to fill their walk.

 

Ayame smiled slightly at the sight. The two of them were already getting along. It wouldn't be long before Lee would get the bowl cut and the green jumpsuit.

 

When they arrived at the civilian area - only a few streets over from where she lived with Kakashi - Ayame noticed that Neji was looking around instead of dead ahead like the boy usually did.

 

Has he never been in this part of town before? Ayame wondered, but for once didn't voice her question. 

 

It really wouldn't help having a emotionally constipated Hyūga for the rest of their mission. Not to mention he was already on edge from her laughing at his face full of mud. 

 

Gotta pick and choose my battles. 

 

"Team Gai Reporting For Duty Ma'am!" Gai said as Lee copied his straight posture and the thumbs up.

 

Ayame was standing behind them with Neji, both wearing blank faces. Ayame because she was trying not to laugh.

 

"About time. I'll show you what I need help with before I leave." The middle aged woman said as she walked outside and lead them around back.

 

"Where are you going Miss?" Lee said as he practically bounced up and down from the excitement of meeting their first client.

 

"Humph, I got to travel to Sunagakure. Hopefully this time they will have minted gold coin instead of the gold dust they were trying to use last time. So I don't want to come back and see my beautiful garden in ruins!" 

 

"Gai-Sensei?" Ayame asked as soon as the women finished her directions and left.

 

"Yes Ayame-Chan?"

 

"How long is this mission?" Ayame wondered because it sounded like the woman - whose name she already forgot - would be gone awhile. 

 

"I'm Glad You Asked My Youthful Student! We Will Be Helping Our Wonderful Client For Three Weeks Or Until She Comes Back." Gai said as he pulled another weed out.

 

Ayame took a deep breath, willing the annoyance out of her system. She should have figured this wasn't going to be just a one time thing. It definitely made sense when Ayame remembered that team 7 only went on a few d-rank missions, like 7 or something was the minimum for the Chūnin exams. 

 

"We are going to be doing this for three weeks?" Neji asked.

 

Now he speaks.

 

"Yes! Exciting Isn't It!"

 

"Like going to the dentist." Ayame mumbled under her breath.

 

Neji made a noise, and Ayame sharply turned to him. The boy was looking down at his work, looking like he was ignoring them all. 

 

Whatever. I thought it was funny. 

 

"Does that mean we'll be training more once we are done for the day?" Lee asked, looking at Gai.

 

Damn that boy had some long lashes. 

 

"That's A Wonderful Idea! The Sooner You Finish, The More Training We Can Go Through!"

 

Pulling up another weed, Ayame noticed that it wasn't too bad. She would help her past mom with the garden, and this time Ayame was getting payed to do it. And with the extra training maybe they could start on c-rank missions sooner. As long as it stayed c-rank that is.

 

* * *

 

 

"Lee-kun, that's not a weed." Ayame said as the boy held up a flower.

 

Thank you Ino for making me learn this shit.

 

"It isn't? But it has yellow petals."

 

"It's a tulip." Neji said as he took said plant from Lee.

 

"Ah, sorry I didn't realize that." 

 

"It's fine Lee..."

 

"No it's not Nohara. We are set back now and will not be finished before noon today."

 

"Why do you care? Half the time you leave early during our training." Ayame pointed out, not liking the lost expression on Lee's face.

 

It was an abnormally warm spring day, and after working the garden that was really more of a small farm, there might be some tension. It didn't help that Gai-Sensei left early.

 

"That's because I already learned most of the things you are learning when I was five. The only reason I agreed to the extra training is so Gai-Sensei can see our improvement and let us go on a c-rank."

 

Ayame opened her mouth to retort back, but closed it when nothing came to mind. Ayame was doing it for the same reasons as Neji, but the sparring with Lee helped her as well. Right now Neji was above both of them in terms of combat. No wonder he was bored.

 

"If you keep skipping out, then we will surpass you one day!" Lee said instead, getting his spirits back.

 

"Only a fool would waste time trying to be something he never can be." 

 

"Oh Get off your high horse Hyūga-San!"

 

"That doesn't even make sense." Neji sneered, still eyeing Lee's mistake.

 

"You're face doesn't make sense!" Ayame said back, well aware that was an awful comeback.

 

Still, the look of confusion on the prodigy's face was priceless. Before Neji could say anything more, she grabbed the tulip and walked over to the flower beds.

 

"Lee can you bring me the rest of them?" Ayame asked calmly as she made the signs for 'Earth style: hide like a mole' technique.

 

"Sure Ayame-Chan. I put them all in one pile." Lee told her with a confused look, even looking to Neji to see if he knew what she was planning.

 

With one motion, Ayame pulled the flower underground just so the roots were deep enough, then pulling her hand back out like the flower had been there for a few days.

 

It was a pretty chakra consuming technique, even with Ayame only using an arm instead of her whole body. She'd be paying for it during training later, but Ayame was past caring at this point.

 

"Oh, I was worried you were going to burn all of it." Lee said with a chuckle as Ayame wordlessly took the next one.

 

Not another word was uttered until Gai arrived.

 

* * *

 

 

"Aya-Chan!"

 

Ayame smiled at the happy blonde despite wanting to fall asleep for the next week. Was this what Chakra exhaustion felt like? Could Jinchūriki even get Chakra exhaustion?

 

"Hey Naruto. I thought I would find you here." Ayame said as she pushed off the post she had been leaning on.

 

"I haven't seen you in forever!"

 

"It's only been a week." Ayame said with a raised eyebrow as they both walked to Ichiraku's. Gai-Sensei was giving them the next day off, so she could stay out a little later.

 

"I know, but still! Sasuke-teme has been even more annoying than usual, and the girls have just been weird." Naruto said with his face all scrunched up.

 

Sasuke hadn't been too happy to hear that she wanted to take the graduation test early. Unhappy for Uchiha, which is still hard for her to recognize even after all these years. 

 

I should try talking to him.

 

"What was weird about the girls?"

 

"Well, not all of them. But Sakura and Ino have stopped hanging out with us during lunch." Naruto said, looking unusually thoughtful.

 

"They've done that before." Ayame pointed out as they sat down at the bar, the owner already getting two bowls of ramen ready.

 

"This time is different. They are acting like the other weird girls around Sasuke again."

 

"Ah."

 

Apparently the truce over Sasuke was over. Man I was hoping that would last longer. At least they are still friends this time around.

 

"You know what's wrong with them?"

 

"They have been bitten by the fanatic bug. Only time will save them now." Ayame said dramatically, causing Naruto to laugh.

 

"Oh, so they'll be fine? I miss having Sakura around to help me, believe it."

 

"That's just because you have a weird obsession with her hair."

 

"DO NOT!"

 

This time Ayame laughed heartily. Naruto reminded her way too much of her youngest cousin, a hyperactive little thing. She missed having family like that in this lifetime.

 

"I'll believe that when pigs fly."

 

"When pigs...What? That makes no sense Aya-chan. Pigs can't fly."

 

What happened next was 100 percent Naruto's fault.


	13. D-Rank Arc: Training

More than a month passed and Ayame was seeing lots of improvement. Physical Improvement. Neji was still a brat and Lee had the worst luck when it came to missions. But Ayame could now keep up with Lee if she spammed body flickers during their spares and make it harder for Neji to get his win. It was amazing to think she had been top of her class but was now struggling to keep up with Lee and Neji.   
  
_ And I don't think that the year difference in age is the reason.  _ Ayame pondered as she pulled more rice out.    
  
Working the rice fields was quickly becoming her least favorite chore, and they hadn't even been here for ten minutes yet. Just the feeling of mud in her shoes was grating on her nerves. Why some people thought a mud bath was relaxing, she'd never know.    
  
Not to mention wading in waist deep water with weights on was not a walk in the park.   
  
"Ahh!"   
  
"Lee-Kun? You alright?"   
  
Ayame looked to see that somehow Lee had slipped and was now soaked.   
  
"Yes! I'm fine Ayame-chan!" Lee said as he got back up, Ayame laughing a little before getting back to work.   
  
"Lee! You Must Have A Sturdy Stance!" Gai said as he walked over to us.   
  
On top of the water.   
_   
_ _ I forgot Ninja can do that! _ _   
_   
"Gai-Sensei!" Ayame yelled, earning a few looks from her teammates since Lee and Gai are usual the only ones who yell.   
  
"Ayame-chan! Do You Have A Question My Youthful Student?   
  
"Ya, can you teach us how to do that?"   
  
"To Do What?"   
  
Ayame gave her teacher a look, then to his feet, then back to his face.   
  
"You Want To Know How To Walk On Water?" Gai said with a thoughtful look.   
  
"Yes."   
  
Gai continued to have his thinking face on and Ayame tried her best to work while watching her Sensei. They still needed to get done by noon.   
  
"We Would Need To Start With Some Chakra Control, Then Move To Tree Walking Before Water Walking." Gai finally said.   
  
"That's fine." Ayame said, hoping there wasn't going to be too much chakra control. 

 

She had spent years practicing with the girls, and still was the worst in their little group. Sure, Ayame knew that Sakura had some crazy chakra control, and Hinata was super aware of her own chakra because of clan stuff, but still. It was annoying.    
  


* * *

  
  
Once they were finished for the day - the mission only a week long this time- they split up for lunch. After spending almost 12 hours a day with each other, the break from the boys was needed. Normally Ayame would have a bite with Lee, but today the boy was unusually quiet.    
  
Also, today it matched up with when the academy students had lunch. It would be nice surprising everyone.   
  
_ However, I still haven't talked with duck-butt. _ Ayame realized, and thought about maybe not going to the school to see her friends. But then she'd have to deal with Ino because somehow that girl knows everyone's schedule.   
  
_ Would I rather deal with emo Sasuke or bratty Ino? _   
  
"Sasuke's easier to escape from." Ayame mumbled to herself as she continued her walk, until she saw Naruto talking - or yelling - at Sasuke.   
  
_ Now or never. _   
  
With the help of a body flicker, Ayame seemed to appear right behind the two boys.   
  
"What's up boys?" Ayame asked with each arm around one of the boys, bringing them into a semi-hug.   
  
"Nah, Aya-chan? What are you doing here?!" Naruto yelled in her ear, with both her and Sasuke cringing away from the blond.   
  
"I was looking for food, and you have some." She replied, letting go of them.   
  
"Oh! Then you can help us choose where to eat!" Naruto said with that grin of his.   
  
"Finally got tired of ramen huh?" Ayame asked Sasuke.   
  
"Hn."   
  
Ayame's smile fell at Sasuke's indifference. Though it was her fault for waiting so long. She really should have told him that she wouldn't be able to meet up for training as often.    
  
"I-I would like to go have some ramen." Hinata said, looking at Naruto for once.   
  
"Awesome! That's two for Ichiraku. Come on Aya-chan! What'cha say?"   
  
Ayame turned away to look at Naruto.    
  
"Fine, but next time I have time to hang with you guys we're going somewhere new."   
  
"Alright!" Naruto yelled and took off.   
  
"Hey, Hinata-chan? Do you mind keeping Naruto company? I need to talk to Sasuke for a moment." Ayame asked before she could psych herself out.   
  
"Oh, um, O-ok Ayame-San." Hinata said, fingertips touching as she followed their blond friend.   
  
"Ok before you say anything, sorry I've been a complete jerk and didn't even tell you I would have to miss a few of our training sessions. That was unfair to you, and instead of fixing it right away I've been avoiding the problem." Ayame said while watching Hinata, before turning to Sasuke.   
  
"And... ya, I'm sorry." She abruptly finished with a sharp bow once she ran out of things to say.   
  
"It's fine Ayame. You're a Genin now. I get it."   
  
"I don't think we need to completely stop sparring with one another - maybe when I start c-ranks - but I do get a day off every five or so days. That is if you still want to?"   
  
"You're one of the few that can give me a challenge." Was all Sasuke said before deeming their discussion finished and started walking.   
  
"Well, I'll try." Ayame said with a hollow laugh, unsure where he got that idea from. Sure she might have won a few of their matches, but more victory went to Sasuke. Mostly it just end up being a time for them to try new things.    
  
But does that mean Sasuke forgave her? Did he even care that much or was it Ayame seeing things that weren't there? Why did she decide being friends with the emo boy was a good idea?   
  
"ARE YOU TWO DONE YET? I'M STARVING!" Naruto called back at them.   
  
"We're coming, no need to get your panties in a twist."   
  
"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I WEAR BOXERS AYA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled way too loudly for public, causing Sasuke to pretend he doesn't know them and Hinata to go red.   
  
Ayame just shook her head, but still couldn't get rid of her smile.   
  
"Hello Naruto-chan, Aya-chan, you two want the usual?"   
  
"Yep! One Miso and Special! What do you two want?" Naruto ask, making Sasuke unable to continue his 'I don't know them' act.   
  
"Ummm, I-I will H-have... I will A-also h-have miso r-ramen." Hinata said, face still red.   
  
_ Is she picturing Naruto in his boxer or something? I thought she stopped getting so flustered around him? _   
  
"I'll have the Ramen that has tomato in it." Sasuke said after looking over every item on the menu.   
  
"Urgh, tomatoes, well at least you got ramen this time Bastard."    
  
"Now Naruto, Sasuke's parents were married so he can't be a bastard." Ayame cut in before the two boys could start a new argument. Ichiraku was way too nice to have to deal with that.   
  


"What? Aya-chan I only call him that 'cause he calls me an idiot!"   
  
"That's because it's true, Idiot." Sasuke ever-so-helpfully remarked.   
  
"WELL MAYBE YOU'RE THE IDIOT!" Naruto said almost getting out of his seat to reach over Ayame and get to Sasuke.   
  
"Here's your order!"   
  
"FINALLY! Thank you Ayame-nee-chan!" Naruto told the waitress before breaking his chop-sticks and digging in.   
  
Ayame sighed in relief before turning to Sasuke who had a smug look on his face.   
  
"That was still rude you know."   
  
The last Uchiha just shrugged before also starting his meal, at a slower rate than Naruto.   
  
"So Ino and Sakura still part of Sasuke's fangirls?" Ayame asked, keeping a straight face even at Sasuke choking on his food.   
  
"W-well if you are talking about t-the other girls..." Hinata stared to say with Naruto nodding furiously.   
  
"I don't know what is wrong with all the girls in our class!" Sasuke said in what was almost a yell for the stoic child.   
  
"Eh, Some girls get a bit weird at this age." Ayame said, thinking back when she was in middle school.   
  
There was a time when a few of her friends would date the same guy one right after another. Then get mad at each other for doing so. Ayame thought it was from those high school shows and movies, but it seems it was just an age thing. She would even blame hormones if it wasn't for the awesome birth control they had that solved almost all those kind of problems.   
  
"You and Hinata aren't weird." Naruto pointed out almost accusatory.   
  
"I did say some. Just give it a few years, or once they graduate and have something else to keep their minds busy instead of your ass."   
  
"What?"   
  
"Well, I hope it's not due to your hair. I still think it looks likes a duck's behind."   
  
"Oh! So that's why you call him duck-butt!"   
  
"I thought you said you would stop calling me that." Sasuke all but whined.   
  
"I said I would when your hair stops looking like that. Would you rather have me call you Sasuke-kun?" Ayame asked, saying his name in the same tone his fans would call him.   
  
"No." Sasuke said as if by saying so would summon his fanbase.   
  
Ayame and Naruto both laughed and even Hinata joined in after a moment, though not as loudly.   
  
"D-don't worry Sasuke-San, I-I think you make it work." Hinata said, which only served to cause Ayame and Naruto to laugh harder.   
  
"See? Even Hinata agrees!"    
  
"Shut up Ayame!"   


* * *

  
  
Less than a hour later, Ayame was staring down Gai-Sensei as he held out three leaves.   
  
"We already practiced that in the academy." Ayame pointed out.   
  
"You Shouldn't Underestimate The Importance Of The Basics Ayame-chan! We'll Warm Up By Doing Laps Around The Field With Leaves Stuck On The Bottom Of Our Feet!"   
  
"We would just stick to the ground then." Neji commented with his Hyūga stoic face.   
  
"That's Why We'll Be Walking On Our Hands!"   
  
_ That... makes sense. At this point I've only used Chakra on my hands, but both the tree walking and water walking need chakra on your feet. _   
  
"Gai-Sensei? I am unsure if I can perform." Lee said uncharacteristically quietly.   
  
"Yes, You're UnderDeveloped Chakra Coils Will Make It Difficult, But It Only Prevents You From Sending Chakra Outside Your Body Like In Nin and Genjutsu. This Requires You Only To Direct Your Chakra To Another Part Of Your Body!   
  
"I promise to do my very best Gai-Sensei!" Lee yelled as he flipped over into a handstand.   
  
"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!"    
  
Ayame also got into a handstand, and noticed that Neji did as well.   
  
_ Seems like this isn't something he learned when he was five. _ Ayame thought smugly.   
  
"Lee, Wait Until You Figure Out How To Stick This Leave To Your Feet Before Moving."   
  
"Yes Gai-Sensei!"   
  
When Gai came over to Ayame, she might have been a little eager.   
  
"Whao! A Little Too Much Chakra There. You Want It To Stick, Not Hover."   
  
"Ah, right." Ayame said, ignoring her face getting hotter.   
  
It took some time to get the right amount, but before too long Ayame was able to move her legs without the leave falling.   
  
"You Got It One The First Try! Nice Work Neji!"   
  
Of course he did.    
  
"Ayame-chan, Neji, I Want You Two To Make Five Laps Without The Leaf Hitting The Ground. Lee, Let's Try On Your Hands First."   
  
"No Gai-Sensei. I will do this today or I'll make ten laps on my hands!"   
  
"Alright then!"   
  
Ayame kept up with Neji for the first two laps, after that though, her control over the leaf started slipping. Even after years of using Chakra, it still felt weird to Ayame. Something you couldn't see or touch, but could feel with enough concentration.    
  
"You're going to have to do another five laps." Neji said after Ayame was able to get her control back.   
  
"Only if it falls, and if it does then I'll just get more practice in." Ayame retorted calmly.   
  
She was in a good mood after seeing her friends and was going to just treat Neji like the kid he is.   
  
The boy who had his hair tied in a man bun didn't commented, but quickened his pace.   
  
_ Nope. Not going to fall for that Neji. _ Ayame thought even though she also quicken her pace, but not so much that she would lose control. Hopefully.   
  
When Ayame was on her final lap, Lee had enough of a hold to start his laps.   
  
"LEE SLOW DOWN! THE POINT OF THIS IS CHAKRA CONTROL NOT BEING THE FASTEST!"   
  
"Sorry Gai-Sensei!"   
  
"I'm finished." Neji said only a beat after Lee slowed down.   
  
"Great! Let's Wait For Ayame-chan And Lee To Finish, Then I Can Show You How To Tree Walk."   
  
It might have been the blood rushing to her head, but Ayame swore Neji had a look of disgust at the idea of having to wait.   
  
"Fear not Neji-San! Ayame-chan and I will finish before you know it or I'll practice this all night!" Lee exclaimed as he struggled keeping the leaf on his feet.    
  
Ayame finished without too much trouble, but Lee lost control and had to start over three times before Gai decided to go ahead and show the tree walk to his other students.   
  
"Keep It Up Lee!"   
  
"I'll be with you guys in no time!" Lee said as he almost lost the left again, but recovered this time.   
  
Ayame waved, worried that Lee really would spend the whole night practicing now.   
  
"Now The Key To Tree Walking Is Being Able To Alternate Between Two Chakra Levels. One To Stick To The Tree, and One To Take A Foot Off In Order To Walk." Gai explained as Ayame nodded in understanding.   
  
Standing in front of a tree, Ayame put one foot on the tree. She tested to make sure it was stuck before adding her other on top of it.   
  
"Good Work Ayame!" Gai said just as Ayame readied to take another step.   
  
Yet as Ayame lowered the Chakra flow to one foot, the tree exploded.   
  
_ SHIT! _   
  
Ayame stopped all additional Chakra going to her feet and jumped off, to see a foot-sized hole in the tree.   
  
"Not Too Bad For Your First Try, Though You Might Want To Work On Another Tree."   
  
"Right. Sorry."   
  
"No Need To Apologize Ayame-Chan."   
  
"I was saying sorry to the tree." Ayame said as she stood back up.   
  
"I See." Gai said in a way that sounded like he didn't. " Well I Will Go See How My Other Youthful Student Is Fairing."   
  
After watching Gai head back to the clearing, Ayame looked at Neji who was already half way up the tree.    
  
"What?" Ayame asked when the Hyūga didn't continued walking up but was just standing sideways looking at her with a unreadable expression.   
  
Neji only looked away and slowly continued his climb.   
  
Rolling her eyes, Ayame tried to run up the tree.   


* * *

  
  
After a week Neji moved on to water walking, Ayame stopped making trees explode with her feet, and Lee could take five steps before falling on his ass.    
  
"Neji, Why Don't You Take A Break And Give Lee And Ayame-Chan Some Tips On Tree Walking."   
  
Ayame barely suppressed a groan as she grabbed the nearest branch to keep her balance. A look down at Lee showed he was having similar thoughts.    
  
"Do you need help?" Neji said monotoned with a blank expression.    
  
Ayame was very tempted to say no, but in true, Neji could be helpful.   
  
"Actually, it would help if you could monitor our Chakra uses with your Byakugan." Ayame innocently asked.   
  
"You...What?"   
  
"That's An Excellent Idea!" Gai said Interrupting Neji.   
  
"Fine."    
  
With that Ayame saw Neji make a basic Chakra summoning sign, though that was the first time she saw him use that just for activating his crazy eyes. Maybe he was starting to get low on Chakra from running on the water all afternoon?   
  
"Ayame, you need to use less Chakra. Lee You need to double your usage."   
  
"What? I'm hardly using any!" Ayame yelled back, because she hasn't blown up a tree yet today.   
  
"You are being ineffective." Was all Neji said before getting closer to Lee.   
  
Ayame took a deep breath and recentered herself. Letting go, she was back to standing sideways. The real challenge was getting to the point where it was instinctive, which meant the slow walk she had been doing wasn't good enough.   
  
Still, Ayame took Neji's advice and lowered the Chakra she was sending to her feet.   
  
She was able to get to the top in recorded time.   
  
"I told you." Neji said once she walked back down, and to his shock, she just smiled.   
  
"Thank you for the advice Neji-senpai."   
  
Neji's eye twitched at the word senpai.   
  
"Ayame-chan! Can I be your senpai as well?" Lee asked, almost falling off the tree from his lack of attention.   
  
"Sure. You're be Lee-senpai, and I will forever call you," Ayame said pointing at Neji who was looking constipated at this point, "Neji-San-senpai-sama."   
  
Ayame just grin, waiting to see if the Hyūga genius will finally break, but said the boy just turned around.   
  
"Ayame-chan! You Can Not Insult Your Teammate Using Honorific. That Is Most Unyouthfull!" Gai yelled from... somewhere.    
  
_ Seem he was kidding when Gai said he will be able to hear us from anywhere in Konoha. _

 

* * *

 

 

To say Danzō was piss was an understandment. 

 

First the old fool wouldn't let him take the nine-tail Jinchūriki, and he didn't push it. 'Naruto' was the last Uzumaki and son of the fourth. It would have been hard to pull him into the shadows even if the Hokage agreed. But when four year later their village had another Jinchūriki, well that was a different story.

 

As soon as his Root spies in ANBU told him about the girl, Danzō knew she would be a great tool. Maybe not a prodigy like Itachi, but the four-tail Jinchūriki was a genius. Mentally years beyond her peers, and the academy would only wasting it.

 

Yet before Danzō could even put his plan into action, the 'copy cat ninja' took the Jinchūriki. Maybe he also saw the intelligence and was sympathetic. Maybe the boy still feel guilt in taking his teammate life for the sake of the village and thought watch her niece would help. Danzō didn't really care. 

 

It wasn't too late. Danzō has been able to take children out of the academy before. However, the Jinchūriki surrounded herself with clan heirs and Danzō was forced to be patient and wait even longer. It would still work in his favor. It was likely her graduating class would have a odd number, and all Danzō would have to do is set one of his root agent as her teacher. It would have been slow, but worth it for the wellbeing of the village.

 

Then the Jinchūriki graduated a year early and was placed on a team while Danzō was watching the 'situation' in Sunagakure. All that planning has been ruin because the little girl who up until that point showed no drive to do more than what was expected of her, decided to take the exam. All his planning and predictions were off. It was a mistake that shouldn't have been made.

 

But Danzō knew how to get what he wanted. It was for the greater good after all.


	14. C-Rank Arc: Nasu Province

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first c-rank mission part 1.

_"Target is at 50 degrees north from 'Leaf's' location."_ Ayame heard Neji say though her ear piece.

"I'm on route now." The soul female of their team said, already jumping to the next tree.

_How the hell did a house cat even get out here?_

_"No need to worry Flower-chan! I got it this time! ARGGG!"_

Ayame flicked from Lee's battle cry, but still was able to grab the scroll she was looking for. A few more jumps latter, Ayame found Lee being attacked by the cat from hell.

"We are meant to capture the cat, not the other way around Lee." Neji said as he come up with Gai-Sensei behind him.

"Oh No!"

Ayame watched as the cat bolted pasted her, and followed it in a quick walk while Neji and Lee argue.

"Hey Kitty, do you want a little treat?" Ayame asked as she unsealed her scroll, to reveal a fish.

Tossing it over, the hell-cat sniffed it before being to eat at. All the while glaring at Ayame.

As the cat eat, Ayame carefully stepped forward. Once the cat became more interested in the fish then the human, Ayame stricken.

"Got the target." Ayame said over the com as she walked back to where the rest of her team was.

"Nice Job Ayame, But Don't be Afraid To Use Your Teammates In Your Plans." Gai-Sensei commented, obviously just getting done telling Lee and Neji off for arguing during a mission.

"Let's just turn this mission in."

Within moments, they were back in the village with Ayame still carrying the cat that was purring up a storm.

"I don't get it. Tora was most cautious around you, but..." Lee questioned, waving at the evil cat that was looking quite content in her arms.

Ayame shrugged. Her past family had adopted a lot of rescue pets, so she knew how to deal with temperamental cats. But it was like she could tell him that. Ayame could lie, but being vague seems like a better option. Exceptionally after spending four days looking for the damn cat.

"Team Gai Reporting In Saying That The Cat Tora Was Found." Gai Announced to the poor Chūnin that was working the mission desk.

"Right. You can just..."

"OH MY BABY!"

The cat was ripped out of Ayame's arms by their client.

"THANK YOU NINJA-SAN!" was the last thing the lady said before leaving, almost everyone take a collective breath at the sight.

"Another d-rank for team 2?" The desk ninja asked, drawing Ayame attention back.

"Actually, I Think Team Gai Is Ready To Take On A C-Rank." Gai announced, and without batting an eye, the desk-nin started looking through the c-ranks.

"Really Gai-Sensei? We are going on a c mission!" Lee yelled and Ayame felt like cheering along with him.

It has been three months of nothing but d-ranks. At this point Ayame would even take the wave mission.

"There is a escort mission to a farm in the Nasu Province that will be leaving in two days. Sights of bandits along the main road, but none with Chakra training."

"What Do You Think Team?"

"YES." All three of them said at the same time with Lee yelling, Neji begging, and Ayame Wanting to take back her previous thought about the wave mission.

No need to jinks this one.

"ALRIGHT! Team Gai Will Take This Mission!" Gai told everyone as the man gave them the mission scroll.

_Two day before my first real mission._

* * *

"Sorry Ino-chan I can't today. I have to get ready for a week long mission." Ayame told the two girls who were standing in front of her.

"Well, then we can just help you pack." Was the blonde resolve was she forced her way inside.

Sakura had the decency to look apologetic, but never less followed Ino.

"I want to put most of my stuff in sealing scrolls so there isn't much packing to do."

"That just mean once we're gone we can do something else before you leave."

Resigning to her fate, Ayame lead the girls to her room. It is pretty funny for how often Ino and Sakura come over neither have meet Kakashi yet. Infact only Naruto has in order to help Ayame with a payback prank.

As it turned out it was a good thing they come over. Sakura and Ino ended up take out everything she planned on packing it, and replaced it. It was easy to forget for how girl the two act, they definitely know their Kunoichi stuff.

Expect for...

"Ayame-chan, why didn't you ever try growing out your hair?" Sakura asked as she took the brush out of her hand and put a comb instead.

At Ayame's confused look, Sakura sighed. "Iruka-Sensei told us that Comb are easier to stab with, now Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair and we both know you use to have a crush on him."

_Use to? When did they decided I was 'over' him?_

"It wouldn't be good to have anything an enemy could grab."

"But there was lots of ninja with long hair. My dad has long hair" Ino added in, and Sakura nodded.

"That may be, but normally it's because they are strong enough to no longer have to worry about any weakness long hair would bring." Ayame said, but ended up letting the conversation move on.

If she remembers correctly, Sakura doesn't cut cut her hair until an enemy tries to grab it. It was either during the wave or Second part of the Chūnin exam, but would things change if she cut it sooner? Ino at least keeps it in a ponytail, but Ayame does worry about the two.

"Whao, do you think that is enough Kunins?"

"I don't think it's possible for a ninja to have too many Ino." Ayame said with a smile as she finished making the seal.

"I still don't get how your handwriting is so perfect." Sakura complained while Ayame just grinned.

Her handwriting was the only reason she was able to pass Chinese in high school.

* * *

"Are You Ready?"

Ayame stifled a yawn as she stood up and stretched. They have been waiting for their clients for the past hour, and only now did she see the cart.

"Yes Gai-Sensei!"

Lee on the other hand was way too excited to rest, pasting the whole hour and practicing his forms.

"Such A Youthful Attitude Lee!"

Ayame shared a look with Neji, though Neji didn't find it as humorous as Ayame did.

"Are you the Ninja-San here to escort us?" the young women in the front asked politely.

"Yes Ma'am! These Are My Genin Students, Lee-kun, Ayame-chan, and Neji-san. And I Am Maito Gai!"

"My name is Nakamura Keiko, please take care of me." She said with a bow.

They were escorting the Nakamura family back to their farm. Besides Keiko, there was her little brother Takuya, a second cousin named Daichi, a grandfather named Youta who wanted the kids to call him ji-chan, and another young woman named Akiko.

"What were you doing in Konoha Keiko-San?" Lee asked after they got into the main road, patched with gravel instead of dirt.

"Lee, asking the client personally question isn't part of the mission." Neji interrupted, and if Ayame was in the front with them she would have called him out.

"Oh, Sorry Keiko-San!"

"There's no need to apologize. I don't mind tell you, but I'm afraid the reason is bording. We perform bi-annually trades with the hidden village. Selling our crops and buy the necessary that we can't get on the farm."

_For being what sounds like a small farm, I'm surprised they can afford a c-rank mission like this. Though maybe it has been doing on since the village founding and they have a deal in place._

Tuning out the rest of their conversation, Ayame turned her attention to the surrounding forest. She still wasn't use to seeing that all the trees are the same. In the academy she learned that the first Hokage was the one not only to make all the houses in the old district, but also the trees. Which was why there was only one type of tree in this whole forest.

_Still think it's weird._

They would still be in the area Konoha ninja regulatory patrol for the day, so there isn't too much of a need to worry yet. However, Ayame doesn't know what a normal c-rank is even like. The few c-rank Ayame remembered enough to write down, ended up getting bumped. The only danger they should expect on this is bandits, but what does that mean in a world where people can control the element with only a few years of practice?

With a sigh, Ayame tried her best to let go of her worries. Having a few will keep you alive, but too many is distracting.

_And wouldn't that be embarrassing, dieing on my first c-rank._

The day ended without any trouble. Ayame took the first night shift and wake Lee up when the moon was high in the night sky. Then after their employees shared a hot breakfast with them, the second day of the trip began.

Ayame knew when they entered bandit territory when Gai-Sensei changed up their positions. Ayame and Lee on either side, Neji with the civilians, and Gai in the back. Ayame could help but feel excited at the idea that she will finally be doing something worthwhile, that she will have a hand in protecting these people on this mission.

"Hey Ayame-chan, do you think we will see any action?" Lee asked in a hushed voice, as to not worry their clients.

"If we are lucky, we wouldn't. This is a escort mission."

Ayame also knew, that she needs to remain objective of the situation, and that she shouldn't be hoping for an attack just so she could play hero. It may be selfish that Ayame wants to help others to make her feel better, but the end result is the same.

_Naruto might be the only person I know in both lives that helps others out of the goodness of his heart. Why else would so many kid stories have good karma style morals?_

"Oh, Right. That wouldn't be great if others got hurt..." Lee trailed off, looking over to the cart with the old man in the front this time.

"That's why we're here." Ayame said, cheering Lee up a bit.

One moment Ayame was giving Lee a small smile and the next Neji was yelling at them.

"Gai-Sensei, there is a group of seven individual with chakra levels above civilians but below Chūnin coming our way."

"Fiddle sticks. I was hoping we wouldn't grab their attention this time around." Ayame hear the old man compline, surprised he seem so at easy at the fact they were going to be attack.

"ALRIGHT TEAM GAI! Stay In Formation. Neji, Watch The Cart And Take Care Of Any Bandits That Get Too Close. Ayame, Lee? You Two Are With Me." Gai said as he appeared down the road.

Ayame gave a sharp nod before quickening her steps so she was in front of the cart that hasn't even slowed down, Lee not too far behind.

_Are we going to ambush them? No this is a combat team, most likely Gai wants Us to keep the attention away from the cart. With Neji as back up it should be impossible for them to sneak up on him._ Ayame reasoned as she meet up with Gai, her heart starting to race.

"Alright You Two! I'll Take On Most Of Them, But If Any Get Past Me, You Two Work Together And Watch Each Other's Back. They May Not Be Ninja, But Bandits Are Desperate Right Now And Will Not Care About Killing You Or Our Clients. But With Your Youthful Spirit, There Should Be No Problems!" Gai said, and Ayame calmed down from his prep talk.

_It will be fine. We have being training, and we are ready for this._

Ayame nodded as she dropped into a loose fighting stance. A Hybrite she started making from all the different Taijutsu style Kakashi has taught her. Ayame thought it was strange to be all together like this, but Neji would tell them if any try to get around them.

_Plus we were frequently thought that Bandits were straight forward, only dangerous from their weapons and numbers._ Ayame told herself, trying her best to keep calm.

_This will be similar to any other time. There is nothing to worry about._

Between one breath and the next, Ayame saw them. A group of people who looked like any generic Hackman. Still, is was shocking to see them running at them with weapons in hand.

She watched as Gai started to fight them. It was amazing how he was able to effortlessly take them all on. Yet just as she thought them, a man got past. Most likely Gai let him, to let Lee and Ayame see some action in a control situation, but Ayame didn't think of that in the moment.

Ayame dogged the first swing of the battleaxe on instinct alone. Then when she turned to face the man, she froze.

"Ha, Going to fight me little girly?"

Ayame dogged again, rolling out of the way long before the weapon was anywhere near her. Then agian, and agian. Not once while striking back. The man was thinking the little ninja was toying with him, when Ayame was having a bit of an internal crisis.

_Come on, just struck back! He'll try to kill Keiko and everyone if I don't._ Ayame tried to motivate herself.

Yet thought she pushed away keep coming up as she danced around the man, make her hesitate before sticking him down. Ayame knows that low bandits like this are killed, and while Gai will most likely be the one to do if first, it still doesn't make her feel any better. There people are lawless, but most have a reason. Family or friends that they need to support. Sure doesn't make what their doing good, but that had a reason. And it a reason Ayame didn't think was worth their death.

_Yet I'm going to die if I don't do something._

Just as Ayame forced herself to stop and take the hit head on, thinking pain might motivate her to stop thinking, Lee jumped in the way.

"Do not worry Ayame! I am here to assist." Lee said even as the cut from his brow starting bleeding into his eye.

_Shit._

Lee who had his back to the enemy, didn't noticed as the man got up and swing faster and more powerful than before. It might have a cutely been a challenge if Ayame didn't perform weights training for the past months. As if was, her mind was blank as she preformed a palm hit on the man's hands, forcing him to let go of the weapon from the crack of bones.

Then before he could do anything else, Ayame followed up with a quick kick to the chin, knocking him unconscious. Looking around, Ayame saw that everyone else was done with their fight. Neji was already tieing them up.

"Sorry Ayame, I shouldn't have interfered with your fight." Lee said and Ayame gave him a dumbfound look.

"You shouldn't be apologizing! I was..." Ayame took a breath. "I should have finished my fight sooner. I apologist that you got hurt."

"LEE! YOU ARE INJURED?" Gai yell, and ran at them at a frightening pace at only served at make Ayame feel more guilty for her actions. Or lack of action.

"It is barely a cut." Neji called out, apparently still having his Byakugan activated.

"But There Is So Much Blood." Gai said with a frown as he pushed Lee's hair back.

"Head Injuries bleed a lot. I have a first aid sealed up..." Ayame said as she got said scroll out.

_I really need to find a way to put multiple things into a scroll without having to unseal the whole thing just to get some gaz._

"How Very Youthful Of You To Be So Prepared Ayame-chan! I Will Finish Up Here While You Three Go Ahead With The Clients."

"Hai Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled as Ayame nodded.

Lee's cut was quite shallow, which was a relief since Ayame still can't perform any medi-Jutsu. As it was, she just wrapped Lee's head enough so the boy would stop bleeding all over the place.

"Thank you Ayame-chan!"

"There is no need for thank, Lee-senpai" Ayame said as an afterthought.

_I wanted to be a ninja. This isn't just a story anymore, it is real life. I know that and yet..._

Ayame looked back to Lee and took in his happy expression along with Neji's bored one.

_Neji should have been out there. Hell, I shouldn't even be here!_

Then, a slap on the back of her head drove all thought s out of physically young girl. Turning sharply around showed a smug looking Hyūga.

"We are still on a mission." Was all that the boy said before hopping of the cart to ran along side it.

"AYAME WAS HELPING ME!" Lee yelled back before huffing.

With a hollow laugh, Ayame revealed her stuff and stood up. "He is right. Why don't you guard inside until Gai-Sensei come back."

"Fine." Lee said, still glaring out at Neji even though there was no way for Lee to see him.

Ayame bit the inside of her lip as she made sure to take the other side from Neji. Ayame knew that the boy will be bring up her mistake, but was it bad the girl wasn't to pretend it didn't happen?

_Who am I kidding. I'm not someone who just pushes things away! If I still want to do this..._ Ayame thought as she started a slow jog along side of the road.

_I need to get my act together and stop treating this like a game._


	15. C-Rank Arc: Highway Bandits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of their first c-rank mission.

Nakamura Keiko was happy to be home. As much as the young woman likes traveling, there isn't anything like seeing your friends and family after a half a year away. Little Takuya ran ahead as soon as their farm was in sight. It was crazy to think her little brother was the same age as the three Genin she hired to help.

 

And it was a good thing she did. Or her mother wouldn't be hugging Takuya right now.

 

With a low bow, Keiko turned to the leader of the group.

 

"Thank you for the save trip Gai-San."

 

"It Was No Problem Keiko-San!" The man in the green jump suit said with a thumb of and a bright smile that Keiko found herself giggling at.

 

"I wish you safe travel." Keiko said, looking to the three kids.

 

It was the oddest bunch Keiko has ever meet. Sure this was the first Jōnin lead team she ever met, but something makes her this this one is unique. Their Sensei aside, the long hair boy acted like his face was carved out of stone. Pretty, but unnerving as well. The other boy was more normal and acted a lot like Takuya, which worries her. He was the only one injured and Keiko got the feeling this wasn't the first time the boy has been so.

 

But the girl was something else. Keiko found out she was younger than the other two by a year, and yet she acted most like an adult out of all of them. Then after the fight, the girl has been acting like adult. Keiko didn't know if the girl was just worried about her Teammate or if there was something else behind her old looking eyes.

 

"As I do you." said girl said with a bow as low as the one Keiko performed only moments ago.

 

_ Such an odd child.  _ Keiko thought as she waved them goodbye.

 

* * *

 

 

"Why Don't We Stay In the Inn For The Night. Then Tomorrow We Can Tree Run All The Way Back!" Gai said as if shortening a three day trip into just one was a good thing.

 

_ Though I would like to go back. _ Ayame thought as she blankly watched Lee jump up and down like a little kid.

 

_ Which they are. Shit, why did I think this was a good idea? This is a world were it was the norm to send out children soldiers! Did I really think magic would make that not the case? _

 

So lost in her thoughts, Ayame didn't notice when they arrived at the small inn until Gai put a hand on her head.

 

"Neji, Lee, Why Don't You Two Go Get Us A Room?" Gai said.

 

For a moment it looked like Lee was going to say something, but not before Neji grabbed his shoulder and pushed him inside.

 

In that time a thousand thoughts filled her mind. Anything from Gai somehow finding how she had knowledge of the future to requesting her, to forcing her to retire from being a ninja. Or to be moved to the Genin Corp where she'll do d-ranks until the next war then die on the front lines.

 

"Ayame-chan?" Gai asked as he got down at her level like she was some kid. 

 

"Yes Gai-Sensei?" Ayame asked as she took a look at his face.

 

_ Well he doesn't look too mad, but I'm  not sure if I even seen Gai mad in the anime... _

 

"Ayame-chan,  We Don't Go On C-Ranks Just For Mission Experience. There Is A Lot The Academy Can't Teach You, But That's Why I'm Here. I'm Your Sensei. If You Ever Need To Talk, I Will Be There." Gai said as Ayame blinked at him.

 

"And If You Are Not Ready To Talk Yet, That's Ok. But I Don't Want To You To Think You Failed. There Is Always Tomorrow My Youthful Student. Even If I Think You Did A Wonderful Job Today."

 

"Wonderful?" Ayame snapped back, before looking away from Gai. It wasn't him she was frustrated at. "I completely froze and Lee got hurt because of that. And they weren't even ninja's! What if next time we aren't so lucky?"

 

Ayame said that last question under her breath. 

 

"I Would Be More Worried If You Didn't Care About Your Teammates. You Are Just Starting. Give It Time Ayame. With Enough Training Anything Is Possible! And If You Can't, That Is Why Konoha Form Teams. To Help Each Other And Cover Any Weakness."

 

Ayame looked at the man wondering how he could be that positive. Lee and Naruto are one thing, they just don't know the true world yet. Gai however knows. 

 

"I'll think about it. Thank you Sensei." Ayame said with a bow of her head as she walked into the Inn.

 

Ayame had a habit of committing to things without putting a lot of thought about it. She had hoped that was just in her past life, but it seems she is still going down that path. The question now is her vague plan to 'change the future' worth going against her morals? Maybe if she focused more on non-lethal methods, Ayame could try not to kill. But Ayame insead gone down the nin-Jutsu path, a fireball to the face isn't a non-lethal method. Burning isn't even a quick death.

 

"Ayame-chan! Look they have a natural hot spring!" Lee called out, giving Ayame enough time to collect herself.

 

"Really? Is it open for use?"

 

"Yes, I already asked Misaki-San. She even told me the boys section is on the right." 

 

"It's split? I thought most that only have one just do timed sections." Ayame asked. 

 

Then again, most of her knowledge of Japanese culture was from her friends or from jrpg (Japanese role playing games). Maybe not the most reliable source of information. Especially when the fact this was another world was taken.

 

"I am... not sure Ayame-chan. This is my first time in a hot spring." Lee said sheepishly.

 

"Same here. Anyhow, might as well go now before it gets too crowded."

 

"Oh That's A Great Idea!" Lee said in a similar tone of voice as Gai. 

 

"Ya, just don't do anything stupid. Or Neji for that matter."

 

"It's a hot spring, what would we even do?"

 

Ayame looked to Lee to see if he was being sarcastic, but no. He was really that innocent.

 

_ I don't want to be the one to tell him. Not that I really get the whole peeping thing. Boobs are just lumps of fat after all. _

 

"Just... be curdeous of other people." Ayame ended up saying as she left before Lee asked anything else.

 

_ Next thing I know I'll have to tell them about where baby's come from. _ Ayame thought before stopping in the hall.

 

"Who's going to tell Naruto." She wondered out loud, already imagining the awkward situation. Or maybe she could just leave it to Jiraiya when they leave. 

 

_ That sounds like a much better idea. Then I wouldn't have to answer any of Naruto's questions. And isn't Jiraiya Naruto's godfather or something?  _

 

With that thought, Ayame entered the women's changing room and started striping. It was nearing the end of spring, yet the nights were still cold. So grabbing on of the pink robes set out for guest, Ayame ran to the hot springs.

 

There was an group of middle age women just leaving by the time Ayame was in the water. She sunk deep enough that her nose was barely out of the water, and looked up at the sky.

 

In her past life, she was fascinated by space. The theory of black holes was so fascinated that it was a near constant subject of research for her. Yet here, there is a different set of stars. She might not even be in the Milky Way galaxy, definitely not on Earth. Ayame knew that, but looking up at the night sky somehow made it more real than shooting fire out of her hands.

 

"Neji-San watch this!" Ayame turned her head to the wooden fence the separated them moment before hearing a splash.

 

"What did you... Where are you going Neji-San?" Lee called again and Ayame smiled.

 

_ I'm I really just going to continue like nothing happened today? _

 

Ayame sighed to herself, the sound of Lee excitement fading to the background. She knew this whole time that ninja were glorified assassins, but the show made it out to be more light hearted. It seems even after 11 years, she still falls into the habit thinking how this was all just from some japanese Guy’s mind. That they are all just character. Sure when Ayame is talking to people, and interacting with them she doesn't think that. But when she is alone with her thoughts? 

 

Ayame wants life to be better for her friends. Maybe the only reason why Ayame is friends is because of the story, but her bond with them is real. Question is is that bond worth killing others?

 

_ I'm not going to lie. I could care less about strangers. But the fact remains I don't want to be the one to kill. _

 

Is that all? Just the act of killing that had her so worked up. The academy tried their best to desensitize them with hunting and the like. But Ayame never had much of a problem killing if it was worth something. Humans though? There is just too many unknowns for Ayame to think about. Which is what happened in battle.

 

_ Well, at least that is a normal concern. Still... _

 

"Oh, Hi Ayame-chan!"

 

Ayame looked up to see Lee. Still on the other side of the fence, but it looks like he was climbing it. Or more accurately, was using it to practice wall climbing. Wood wall were the next step after trees after all.

 

"Lee, some people might think looking over at the girls section is rude." Ayame told him as she closed her eyes.

 

"Oh, Sorry Ayame-chan!" Lee yelled as she heard a splash.

 

It was like a toddler running around the house naked. Lee probably didn't even realize how wrong it was to just talk to your friend without any clothes on. Though, Ayame has noticed there was more openness about that. Maybe it was just because she only has a western world to compare too. Not like she been to a lot of nude pools before.

 

"I am too tired for this." Ayame said out loud as she sank lower into the nice hot water.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning they woke up way too early. Then to top it off Gai mentioned how he let them sleep in.

 

_ The sun isn't even up yet. _ Ayame complained in her own head. Opening her mouth too talk seems like too much effort at the moment. 

 

Not to mention they were jumping from branch to branch at their normal running speed. Lee has already slipped five times, and had to be saved by Gai one of those times. Ayame also had some close calls and even Neji seems to having trouble.

 

"It Is Good Practice!" Gai told them yet again as he place a sturdy hand of Lee to keep him from falling.

 

"Gai-Sensei? Maybe we could slow down a little. I feel like I'm at my limit."

 

"Since We Completed The Mission, Think Of This As Training!" Was all the green beast said before starting off from their short break.

 

"Wait."

 

Ayame stopped, grabbing onto Lee's arm to keep him from running into her and them both off the tree. Even Gai stopped from Neji's tone of voice.

 

_ Why does he have his Byakugan activated? _

 

"I found where the bandit camp sight is."

 

_ What? _

 

"Good Job Neji. Is There Anyone There?"

 

_ Why did Gai ask Neji to locate their camp? Is it just so Gai can tell Intel where they are in order to form another mission. _

 

"Three scouting around and three located in the camp sight."

 

_ But they would be gone before another team would get here. Perhaps Gai has a messenger hawk to locate a closer team or... _

 

"Alright Team! What Do You Say To Picking Up An Extra Mission Before Heading Back?"

 

_ Shit. _

 

"We are going to take care of the rest of the bandits Gai-Sensei?"

 

"That's Right My Youthful Student. It Is The Job Of Konoha Ninja's To Upkeep Safety In Our Woods."

 

"I'm ready Gai-Sensei!" Lee yelled as he gave Gai a thumb up that their teacher eagerly returned.

 

_ Shit. _

 

"Will this be a c-rank mission?" Neji asked while Ayame questioned if she was ready for another fight.

 

"Most Mission Where There Is Fighting Is C-rank Or Above Neji-San."

 

_ This is fine. I’ll just think of it like a test run. _

 

Neji gave a sharp nod, before Ayame noticed that Gai was looking at her now.

 

“We shouldn’t let them go and harm some traveler who couldn’t around a ninja escort.” Ayame said, steeling herself.

 

_ It’s fine. People die all the time, I’ve been here for 11 years. I can’t keep bring up my past ideas of right and wrong here.  _

 

“Alright Then! Lead The Way Neji.”

 

_ Different time, different place, different life. I can do this. _

 

They changed direction, with Neji leading and Gai right behind him. Ayame soon realized after focusing on the pair and not what was moments away from happening, that all of this was a training. 

 

Gai was setting them up to get use to how missions work. First with the escort formations, now with letting Neji lead them to the target. They were a combat team after all, most of their missions in the future will be primarily bodyguard or hitman missions. 

 

Just as Ayame came to that realization, they arrived.

 

“Neji, You Go After The Man With The Katana And Let Me Know If Any Escape This Clearing. Lee, Ayame? Work Together Against The Man With The Net And The One With The Bō.”

 

“I’m a girl you ass!” the one with the net yelled at Gai.

 

“Sorry Miss. Go After The Woman With The Net And The One With The Bō.” Gai corrected and Ayame felt like facepalming.

 

_ Please tell me all that talking before fights in the anime doesn’t happen in this universe. _

 

“ALRIGHT! GO TEAM GAI!” Gai yelled and the three Genins jumped into action.

 

Lee and Ayame took to the left while Neji ran to the right. Gai disappeared to dealt with the ones who were scouting the campsite and although Ayame knew that he was close, it felt like they were now alone.

 

Ayame did her best to clear her mind as she followed Lee. When he knocked the legs out from underneath the two, Ayame jumped in to give the man with the Bō a open palm hit to the chest before he was fully up. The man was send flying into his partner. With only a look to the other, Lee and Ayame followed up by attacking the pair, switching off before the bandits were able to get use to their fighting style. 

 

The fight only lasted a few minutes.

 

“Good Work Everyone!” Gai said as he came back, no bodies insight. 

 

Ayame watched as Lee joined Gai in the after battle high, trying her best not to pay attention to the three bodies that were around them. 

 

The one Neji was dealing with was dead. There was no way he was still alive with the position the bandit’s body was in. The two Lee and Ayame dealt with where only unconscious, but that wouldn't last long. 

 

“Why Don’t You Two Find A Place To Camp For The Night? You All Deserve A Good Night’s Rest. Then We Can Double The Speed For Tomorrow!” Gai said as he pulled Neji back, probably to have a talk if this was his first kill.

 

_ The real question is how long is Gai going to kill them off screen for Lee and I. _ Ayame wondered as they left.

 

* * *

 

 

“ **That’s the end?** ” Gokū questioned as soon as Ayame closed her mouth.

 

“Well, they did make another show called GT, but I never watched it.” Ayame said as she thought, legs in a lotus position as she sat on top of the Torii. 

 

“ There was a few movies that came out that wasn’t too bad.” She continued before yawning.

 

“ **You should take better care of yourself Nohara Ayame. If you need sleep then leave.** ” The giant monkey said and Ayame almost snorted.

 

Almost.

 

“Fine. I’ll think of a new story to tell you for next time.” Ayame said, too many thoughts in her head to think clearly.

 

Ayame never thought that her story times with Gokū would last so long that she would run out of stories to talk about. That was one of the reasons she waited so long to tell the dragon ball one, since Ayame knew Gokū would like it. 

 

It was a hit and miss for the giant monkey. He liked the idea of flying cars and advance technology, but hates it when the explanation is too long. Ayame is the opposite which is why she never read a lot of sci-fi storys. Not enough science.

 

“How would you like to hear a story about a time traveler?” Ayame asked even though she could feel her body calling her back.

 

“ **It’s not the one with the man you call HG Wells is it?** ”

 

“No, the one i’m think of is a old show called Doctor who. I only watched a few episodes here and there, but there was a lot of weird technology.”

 

“ **Sounds acceptable.** ”

 

* * *

 

 

Ayame woke up to the sight of pale eyes staring her down.

 

“It’s your shift.”

 

The girl blinked a few times, in order to process what was going on.

 

“Did you really just stare at me until I woke up for my shift?”

 

“It’s your shift.” Neji repeated, like That made anything better.

 

“Alright, just go to sleep. You get creepy when tired.” Ayame said as she stood up.

 

Neji glared at her, but did end up leaving his post to rest. The sun was almost up so it will only be a few hours before Gai decides to wake then all up. Neji, Ayame discovered, is the worst of them when sleep deprived. 

 

_ And to think we haven’t even had an all nighter mission yet. _

 

Ayame  walked up the tree Neji was scouting at, finding a nice limb to set on. It gave her a nice view of the camp and the forest. They weren’t traveling by road this time, so Ayame figures they will be back in Konoha by noon. 

 

_ Not too bad  for my first c-rank. Or first two?  _ Ayame thought to herself as she looked down at Lee who was sleeping like a starfish.

 

_ I can still choose to stop being a ninja, but... _

 

Gai was awake. Or he was sleeping with his eyes open. Now that Ayame thought about it, this would be the first time she had seen Gai sleeping. He does seem like the person who would sleep with their eyes open though.

 

_ Can I really just leave when there is something I could do? Even if it’s being the third member of team Gai or Naruto’s friend... _

 

Ayame turned to see some of the birds fly off into the rising sun. They looked like crows, but could easily be ravens.

 

_ I did always dream of have an adventure when I was younger. Hopefully that won’t be my downfall.  _ Ayame smiled to herself, though it was an empty thing. 

 

Nothing was solved, nothing changed, but Ayame felt like she was more determined to continued this path she set herself on.

 

Even if it meant letting go of parts of her past.

 

* * *

 

 

“So did you get to save a princess? Or a Pirate? OR A PIRATE PRINCESS!” Naruto yelled loud enough to cause the cook to drop his spoon.

 

“Idiot. You wouldn’t even heard what she said with all that yelling.”

 

“Yes I would! I have very good hearing Sasuke!”

 

Ayame sighed as her head fell onto the bar. 

 

“Why did I think this was a good idea? I could be sleeping right now.” Ayame complained and Hinata even patted her back.

 

“I can hear you trying not to laugh Sunshine.”

 

The patting stopped and the other girl get out a sigh of her own.

 

“S-sorry. It is kind of funny though.”

 

“You know, I think finding pleasure in others pain is a sign of a psychopath.” Ayame said, turning her head just enough to to see Hinata’s reaction.

 

“Does that mean you’re a psychopath Ayame-San?” Hinata innocently asked.

 

“Rude. What will people think when they find out i’m being bullied by the Heiress of the Hyūga clan.” Ayame joked, only to notice that Hinata stifled.

 

“What’s wrong?” All joking was out of her voice and Ayame’s head off the table.

 

The boys even stopped their argument at the seriousness of Ayame’s voice. 

 

“Hinata-chan?” Naruto asked, braking Hinata out of her funk.

 

“Oh, s-sorry. I-it’s nothing. R-really.”

 

Naruto and Ayame shared a look, seemingly asking the other if it was ok to go through with bugging her.

 

“Hinata. If you don’t tell us what is worrying you now, these two might end up breaking into your house. And I rather not see how that goes.” Sasuke told Hinata, Ignoring the yell of ‘hey’ from Naruto and the shrug from Ayame.

 

“I-it n-nothing that Im-important.”

 

“Hinata, we’re your friend. It doesn’t have to be important, but you can still talk with us if you need to.” Ayame pointed out, not liking how nervous Hinata was acting.

 

“W-well It's just that... I’m nolongertheheiress.” 

 

Ayame looked at Hinata, noting that this might be the fastest she have ever heard Hinata talk.

 

“What do you mean you’re no longer the heiress.” Sasuke demanded, looking quite serious for a 11 year old.

 

“I-it’s n-not t-that bad. F-father h-had m-me spare with H-Hanabi, and I- she won.”

 

There was a moment silents as their food came, but not even Naruto grabbed his chopsticks.

 

“Isn’t she 6? Why are they determining who the next clan leader why have academy students fight each other? There is a lot more than physical strength needed to run a clan, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.” Ayame blurted out her thoughts, before really looking at Hinata.

 

“Do you want to be clan leader?”

 

“...” Hinata looked down at her hands, and Ayame was worried that she went too far.

 

“Hinata-chan?” Naruto asked, which cause the girl to snap her head to him.

 

“Ah, s-sorry. I did w-want to lead the clan. There a-are th-things I want to change, and...”

 

“Then we’ll help you! If you want to be the clan leader or whatever then you can’t let anyone stop you, believe it!” Naruto explained and it did seem to cheer Hinata up instead of scaring her off.

 

“Maybe you could ask your dad for a rematch? Maybe once the two of you are Chūnin or Jōnin to show your leadership skills along with fighting prowess.” Ayame added, causing Hinata to look at her with shock.

 

“T-thank you.” Hinata said with a slight blush and a smile.

 

“Great! Then let’s eat!” Naruto announced and Sasuke sighed.

 

“Can you think of anything else besides Raman?”

 

Ayame laughed as the two boys began their arguing, looking over to see that Hinata looked much more relaxed.

 

_ How long was that bothering her? And things that she wants to change... would that be the caged bird seal? _

 

Ayame promised herself to asked Hinata about that later, and dug in. As much as she likes Lee and Gai, it was great to spend time with her friends like this and take a moment to pretend that everything was fine.


	16. C-Rank Arc: Missing Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the second time that you have to worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the next chapter there will be a bit of a timeskip, mainly because I really want to start writing the Chūnin exams. The end of this chapter was also one of the first scenes I imagined for this story, so I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> Also as of this chapter, the AO3 version is caught up to the Fanfic.net one. Which means updates can be anywhere from two week to a month.

**Chapter 16: Missing Child**

 

"Gai-sensei, will you be nominating us this year for the chūnin exam?" Neji asked only slightly out of breath as he sent Lee flying into a tree. Ending their spare.

Lee groaned as he sat back up.

Ayame was looking over to him in worry before Gai took that chance to attack. His Teammate moved just in time that Gai's kick passed over her head.

It was amazing she was able to keep up with their wonderful Sensei!

"Your Uncle Did Talk To Me About That, And While You May Have The Fighting Skills, Being A Chūnin Is Also About Leadership. That's Why We Are Going To Wait Until Next Summer For The Exam Here In Konoha. That Way You Can Work Longer Forging Most Youthful Bonds With Your Teammates!" Gai explained, able to block all of Ayame's attacks without seeming to pay attention or even look at her.

"I see," Neji said as he moved to practice alone now that their sparing for the day was done.

"I will beat you next time Neji-san!" Lee yelled liked he does after every match, however this time Neji stopped.

"No. You won't. A talentless person like yourself can only dream of reaching the level of a genius like me."

Any other day, Lee would retort back that he would, then Ayame would back him up. However today when Lee heard that he had a different thought.

"And a person who can't dream is dead Neji-senpai-san!" Ayame yelled before squawking from Gai landing a hit.

He wondered, maybe just maybe...

"Ayame-chan, That Wasn't A Very Youthful Thing To Tell Neji Even If It Is True-"

"Ha!"

This time, Lee wondered if Neji could be right.

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto yelled as he dug into the bowl.

"I'm surprised you two didn't burn anything."

"That was one time... and what are you doing here Kakashi?" Ayame asked as she saw the ninja moments before he ruffled her hair.

"Mission got done early." He said with a shrug, taking Ayame bowl in one fellow swoop.

Ayame frowned as she tried fixing her hair. Not that she could see, or really cared, what it looked like.

"Did you save any princesses? Or Toads?" Naruto asked while Ayame wondered when Kakashi stopped trying to make himself scarce whenever Naruto was over.

_Was it when we tried stealing all his masks?_

"Wait, Toads?" Ayame asked before Kakashi could even respond to the blond.

"Giant Toads maybe, but you said you had to save that cat once."

"That was a d-rank. Kakashi was on like, a triple s rank or something." Ayame said and heard Kakashi cough.

"REALLY?"

"No." Kakashi and Ayame said, before Ayame started laughing.

"Jinks! You owe me a Dango!"

"Oh, look. I hear the Hokage calling for me." Kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"You can't hear gramps from here, believe it!" Naruto yelled at the empty bowl as Ayame finally grabbed herself some more.

"Kakashi has a fear of paying for anything." Ayame said rolling her eyes as she sat next to Naruto who looked like he just remembered that the stove was on.

"Oh man. I still didn't get to see what was under his mask." Naruto sighed dramatically.

"I told you, I will happen when you least expect it."

"But then how would I see it?"

"You got to be constantly vigilant."

Naruto just frowned and Ayame wondered if Naruto will be this curious once he is on Kakashi's team.

_Wasn't there a filler about that? I hope fillers wouldn't happen in this universe. I am not going to do that whole curry of life thing._

"Naruto why don't you take some home. There is enough for a few days-" Ayame started to say before there was a knock at the door.

"Did you asked Sakura-chan to come over?!" Naruto asked with hearts in his eyes as Ayame stood up.

"No. She was looking into volunteering at the hospital today so I never got around to ask." Ayame told her friend before opening the door.

"Ayame-chan! I need your assistants, if you have time." Lee yelled before the door was even fully open.

"Let me just finish cleaning up lunch," Ayame said with a sigh.

She was planing on using her day off to study, but it looks like she'll have to deal with this first.

"Thank you very much!"

Lee didn't follow her inside even though Ayame left the door wide open.

"Hey, are we doing anything for the Bastard's birthday?"

"Sasuke? Right it's his birthday this month. Should we go to that Dango stand he likes?"

"I still can't believe he doesn't like ramen." Naruto grumbled as he poured the rest of said soup into a container.

"Most people like more then one thing Naruto."

"But not to like Ramen!? That's blasphemous!"

"Don't worry Naruto, I'm sure that one day the sage will come to talk to Sasuke about it himself."

"You better believe it!" Naruto said as he followed Ayame out the door.

"Alright, see you later Naruto!" Ayame said before turning to her teammate.

"So what did you want help with?" She asked moments before Lee pulled her away in a run.

Not a mild jog but a full out run.

"It's not me but my friend. She's leaving for the Chunin exams soon and needs your help."

"Wait, my help? With what?" Ayame questioned as she got her feet situated so she was no longer being dragged.

"That sealing stuff you do. You two are the only ones I know who makes it themselves!"

_Someone wants my help with sealing? I mean, I was planning on working on that today but I am nowhere near that level to help someone with it!_

"Um, Lee-senpai? I would love to help your friends but-"

"That's great Ayame-chan! Here she is!" Lee yelled to a girl who was standing in the middle of a training field that was covered in weapons.

Not just the normal Kunai and giant sturiken either, but all kinds.

"Lee I told you didn't need to-"

"Tenten, this is my Teammate Ayame-chan. Ayame, this is my friend and sister Tenten!"

"Your sister?"

_There is no way..._

"We aren't really siblings. I met Lee at the orphanage, and I use to call him Lee-Nisan when I was little." Tenten explained as she walked over.

"That makes sense." Ayame said.

"When I first met Ayame-chan, she told us she 'overloads' her scrolls, and so when you were complaining about not having enough room in yours, I thought Ayame-chan would help. And She said she would!"

"Really? You figured out how to get over the volume limit?" Tenten asked with stars in her eyes.

"I wasn't the one who figured it out. I have some notes about the art of sealing that explained how it would work in theory." Ayame said pulling on her clothes.

Ayame has been thinking about putting seals on her clothes, but hasn't yet. Seals only work on biotic materials. Every living thing in this world has a chakra system, and when you die the paths are still there. Then with a seal it uses the pathways like wires. However she hasn't testing other materials besides parchment and paper yet.

"I would have to go back to get them though..." Ayame continued, only to be interrupted by Tenten.

"Would you really? I know that a lot of ninja's prefer to keep their notes to themselves, I don't want you to get in trouble with anyone." Tenten said and it took Ayame a moment to understand what she was talking about.

"I'll ask Kakashi. There was no name on the resource, but he was the one who gave them to me." _Kind of._ "In meantime, I had no issue with you taking a look at my notes. Not sure how much help that will be though."

"Anything would help. My Sensei wants us to go to the Village Hidden in Grass, and the first step in obtaining my goal is to become a Chūnin. On the first try if I can."

"I'm free for the rest of the day, want to meet up at the library in a few?"

"That would be great. I'll just grab some snacks and meet you there. Thank you so much Ayame-San."

"It's no trouble. The best way to know how well you really know something is to teach it after all." Ayame said with a small smile, feeling uncomfortable with how much praise the other girl was giving her.

"Then should I come back tomorrow to help with your moving target practice?" Lee asked Tenten who nodded.

"Thank you again Lee. You are a great friend for doing all this."

"It is the least I can do Tenten!" Lee said with a thumbs up and a grin.

Ayame ran back home and straight into her bedroom window. It took some time, but she was able to find all her lose note and whipped up a storage steal for easy transport. However when she got to the scrolls that basically taught her how to seal she paused.

"Kakashi? Are you still around?" Ayame yelled as she picked up the scroll that illustrated the idea of having an unlimited storage steal.

"Turned out the Hokage didn't need me." She heard him answer from down the stairs in what most would call their living room.

"Right. Can I ask you something?" Ayame asked when she headed down, showed for a moment to see him using the coach.

Sure Kakashi was still reading that book, but they never use this room. Took close to the front door and too many Windows.

_Though that also means there is more light during the day and since the first aid is out on the table..._

"You just did."

"Yes well, I'm going to do some brainstorming with a peer of mine about sealing, and I was thinking of bring some of the scrolls you had." Ayame explained.

"Have fun then." Kakashi simply said as he turned the page of his favorite book.

"Thanks. By the way, did you write these?" Ayame wondered since there wasn't a lot of sources about the Art of sealing.

"They were my sensei's old notes."

_Kakashi's Sensei? But wasn't that..._

"You mean to tell me. These scrolls I've been reading for over five year have been written by your Sensei, the fourth Hokage." Ayame said slowly, because clearly she was missing something.

"It's all theoretical. I wasn't expecting you to understand them, but since you can I don't see any problem with you teaching your little friend's."

"And this had nothing to do with the fact you broke out of the hospitable again?" Ayame concluded, which only lead to Kakashi putting down his book enough for her to see his 'smiling' eye.

Ayame only sighed as she grabbed the rest of her stuff.

"I might not be back till late, so don't pass out or i'll tell Gai-Sensei." Ayame threatened before body flickering outside the house before the Jounin could respond.

Ayame ended up staying up the whole night with Tenten as the two girls discussed multi-layered storage seals and if there was a way to create reusable seals.

* * *

"TEAM GAI REPORTING FOR DUTY!" Gai and Lee said at the same time.

"Before you know it, Lee will be sporting the green jumpsuit and bowlcut." Ayame muttered under her breath with a smile.

"Not even he is that much of a fool."

Ayame looked to Neji, a cat like grin appearing on her face.

"Want to bet on that?"

"A c-mission for a lost child just-" The poor Chunin working the desk said only to be interrupted.

"A Missing Child? That Sounds Like A Most Youthful Mission!" Gai exclaimed, Ayame laughing quietly at the way some of the other ninja's flinched.

_You would think they would be use to this by now._

"Right. Well, here is the mission details. It was just deliver today, some noble from the East youngest daughter went missing a week ago."

"We'll leave at noon!" Gai told them and Ayame wasted no time in getting the hell out of there.

 _Again, you think people would be use to ninja's using the windows as doors._ Ayame thought to herself as she heard Iruka yell at her.

How the man can work a desk job and as a teacher, Ayame will never know.

As it was, Ayame ran along the rooftops to her house. She already had a scroll packed for their next out of village mission. With how Gai likes to only give them a few hours to pack, it was better to just have it already made and add a few scrolls filled with weapons and explosive tags.

Ayame left a note - for Naruto - before heading out and making her way to the south gate.

"How do you guys get here so fast?"

Even with Ayame preparedness, it had nothing on the rest of her team.

"You Are Here Ten Minutes Faster Than Last Time! I Am So Proud You Are No Longer At Risk Of Being Late Like My Hip But Lazy Rival."

"Right. So how are we going to track the girl? This isn't the best group for a tracking mission." Ayame pointed out as she jumped into the trees.

The village was only a few hours away at the speed they were currently traveling at, which is good since there are some dark clouds on the horizon.

"We Can Ask Everyone In The Village If They Have Seen The Youthful Child." Gai said and Lee was the only one who thought that was a good idea.

"If we find something with her scent on it, I can summon one of my dogs to track it."

"That Sounds Like A Great Plan Ayame-chan! We Will Ask Around For Her Favorite Toy!"

"If I can't find it by sunset, I will do 100 push ups!"

"And If We Find Her By Tomorrow, Then We Will Run All The Way Back To Konoha!" Gai yelled, scaring some of the birds out of the trees.

_That doesn't sound like a reward Gai._

* * *

"PUPPY!" Ayame cooed when she notice she not only summoned Biscuit, but also his little pup.

"HI Aye-chan!"

"Hope you don't mind I brought Kuma. He's training now and I thought you might have something good for us." Biscuit said with his sleepy looking eyes.

"Of course I don't mind. He's going to be part of my pack some day right?" Ayame asked as she scratched behind both dog's ears.

"YEP!" Kuma answered with a wag of his tail.

"Would you two mind helping us find a girl who went missing? Her parents gave us her bunny that apparently she took with her everywhere." Ayame explained, taking said stuffed bunny from Lee.

Biscuit first took a sniff, before using his head to motion Kuma over.

"GOT IT!" the puppy yiped seconds before running off.

"He got the right trail, want me to stay around pup?" Biscuit asked Ayame as the two ran after Kuma.

"Excellent Job Ayame-chan! We Will Find Young Aiko Before The Sun Sets!" Gai said as he motioned Lee and Neji to follow.

"You can leave if you want to. I'll make sure Kuma stays out of any fights." Ayame said, figuring she could just summon him or Pakun if need be.

Biscuit gave a bark before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Her teammate have caught up and followed Kuma in a run much slower than they normally run at.

After 20 minute of running, Ayame just picked Kuma up and had him point them in the right direction, stopping every so often so the puppy could re-sniff.

It wasn't until the trees started thinning that Ayame noticed the smell of salt water in the air. They must be close to the eastern coast by now, after a half a day of running through the trees. The sun was low in the sky, that was already dark from the heavy clouds that have been hanging around all day.

 _I wonder if I could convince Gai to let us stay at the beach once we find the child. It has been ages since I've been at a beach when it wasn't raining._ Ayame thought to herself, only to have a big fat rain drop land in her eye.

"Really? It has to start raining now?" Ayame complained, as it started pouring down.

"Dog, how close are we to the target?" Neji asked like his clothes weren't starting to droop from the amount of water it was absorbing.

"Close! The scent is really really strong!"

"Alright Then. Neji, Do You See Anyone?" Gai asked only for the boy to activate his veiny eyes.

"There is a small cave not too far."

"Lee, Ayame, Neji, You Three Survey The Surroundings While I Check The Cave." Gai said and looking like real ninja's for once, they all displaced faster than the human eye could see.

Ayame dismissed Kuma, since with how the rain was now, it was unlikely the puppy will be much help. Looking around, Ayame was struck by how silent it was. There was no animals around that she could hear, and Ayame had really good hearing. It was either due to her contract with the dogs or from being a Jinchūrik. Nevertheless, she was getting a bad feeling.

"HEY YOU!" Lee yelled, telling everyone that they were not alone.

Ayame turned sharply to see Lee lunch at a burly man easily twice his size. Might just be a bandit, but it was clear this wasn't the same as the ones they have dealt with before. For one, Ayame could tell that the man was wearing armor, not just patches of cloth and leather. Then there was his giant chain with barbed balls at the end. Lee was spending all of his time just dodging the onslaught, unable to get close enough to attack.

"Boss! Looks like some kids playing ninja found us." The burly man said, fingers held up to his ear.

 _How in the world did bandits get a hold of a commutator?_ Ayame wondered as she ran over to Lee, keeping an eye on her surroundings.

"Where is Aiko?" Lee demaineded to know as he kicked chain away, only to have the other end whip around, grazing Lee's back as the boy jumped back.

"Damn. Did one of them pick a wealthy kid." The man said under his breath, and Ayame only heard because she body flickered over to him while Lee distanced him.

"OH FUCK THEY GOT THAT MAGIC SHIT BOSS!" The man yelled into his earpiece, even as Ayame kicked him hard enough in the arm that there was a crack.

Ayame paused from the sound, but luckily Lee took over and the man was soon on the ground.

"Now," Ayame said as she took a breath to steel herself. "Please tell me this isn't some kind of slave ring."

"Like you know how hard it is to make it out here. Why don't you two just take this love kid you were talking about and leave us to our business." The man hissed as he layed in the mud in pain.

"There is a cart in coming." Neji said, talking like there wasn't a full grown man lying on the ground with a broken arm and Lee stepping on his chest.

"How many?"

"Five adult, and three children. All the adult have weapons and are drawing them as they come here."

Before she could forget, Ayame took the earpiece from the man, before asking Neji, "How much longer before they come here?"

"Only a few minutes from their current speed." Neji said before finally turning to Lee and Ayame.

When Lee also looked at Ayame, she was painfully aware that Gai was still at the cave. These still may be bandits, but ones that looks to be running a slave ring for years and had money. If they are the paranoid sort, they might have hired missing ninja to keep them save. Which the three of them are not ready to deal with by themselves.

"Someone need to update Sensei. The thug here already told his 'boss' about Lee and I, so they will only be expecting two ninjas." Ayame thought out loud, looking around the quickly darkening clearing they were in.

"Gai-sensei is taking a long time." Lee pointed out as he finished tying the other man up.

"Right. This might be their base of operation. Neji, you didn't see anyone in the cave did you?"

"No, that was outside my range." Neji bluntly said, which was the first Ayame has heard about a range.

Really? That's all he can see, Hinata has twice that range and she still hasn't graduated yet.

"Lee, why don't you go to the cave-"

"I'll go." Neji announced, and Ayame gave him a look.

"Fine. Have fun dealing with traumatized kids."

"They would have stronger people guarding their base. You have fun with the weakling."

Neji left soon after that, not staying long enough to to see Ayame roll her eyes.

"Okay, you ready Lee?"

"Of course I am Ayame-chan! We will rescue these children or I will run all the way back with you on my back!"

"Good luck with that." Ayame said, hoping that they will rescue the children.

Also she really doesn't like piggyback rides.

The cart was close enough for Ayame to hear it. They were relatively close to a hunter's path, which didn't seem wide enough for a cart. Yet when Ayame saw it, she was surprised to see it wasn't a horse drawn cart. There wasn't any animal, and the girl notice the sound of a motor.

_I will never understand the technology of this world._

"Release the child, or you will have to deal with Konoha's Handsome Beast and Beautiful Rose." Lee dramatically said, and it took Ayame a moment to process who he was talking about.

"Why am I the beautiful rose?"

"Because you have great passion and a threat of danger. Like a rose."

"Nice reasoning, but I still don't like that title." Ayame said before one of the people in the cart spoke up.

"We can deal with two ninjas. Ken, watch the goods. Everyone else? GET OUT AND DEAL WITH THE BRATS!"

At a fast speed for a civilians, four people jumped out of the cart. Like the man before, they were wearing fitted armor and had well crafted weapons.

_And i'm willing to bet they know how to use them too._

Ayame looked over to Lee, signing -like Gai has taught them- that she will taking the two on their left. Lee gave a thumbs up before taking the weights off his arms and belt.

With that they were off.

Ayame briefly noticed that this batch were indeed a little stronger than the past bandits they have fought. Still not too much of a obstacles for ninjas, but there was still the fact they were trying to kill her and had very sharp weapons.

Ayame even used a earth Jutsu to soften the already wet dirt to her advantage. With the two enemies off balance, Ayame kicked one into the other. Both went flying through a three.

Neither stood up again.

Forcing herself to look away, Ayame turned to where she heard Lee fight in time to see him flip backwards. There was only one person left, the woman who was driving their cart. And even with the sword that was bigger then Lee, it seemed like the fight would be a easy win.

That was before lighting filled the sky and Ayame saw Lee was standing very close to a steep edge.

In the brief moment it took Ayame to notice that, the last bandit was able to push Lee just a little more.

"LEE!" Ayame yelled as she saw Lee slip, one leg out in a kick to send the women flying but he Leaned too far back.

She had no idea how long the fall was, but had a bad feeling it was over the ocean. And while they all know how to swim - have been taught in the academy- swimming in the ocean during a storm isn't a good thing. Also, Lee has just gotten his tree walking down to the level he can do it without much concentration. Ayame has no idea if he can use it to walk up the rock or not.

The brown hair girl body flickered over to the edge, using too much chakra then what was needed to travel that distance. And jumped off the edge.

"Got you." Ayame said in relief as she grabbed Lee in one hand by his shirt and used just enough chakra to stick to the side of the cliff using her other hand.

Looking down, Ayame saw it was close to a fourth foot drop, all with pointy rocks and a angry look ocean waiting for them.

"Ayame-chan?" Lee said, sounded unlike his extremely optimistic self.

"Don't worry, I just need to get my feet situated and we can-" Ayame started to explain before there was a loud crack.

The two had just enough time to look up to see Neji fighting the last bandit before the rock under Ayame hand started to crumble.

And they fell.

* * *

_Sorry for the cliffhanger, not sorry for the pun. But hopefully it wouldn't be too long before I update again, like maybe two weeks? I did feel like the fight scenes were a little short, but since there hasn't been any ninja fights yet I decided to let it slid._


	17. A S-rank Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the missing child mission

Ayame was right.

It was really no fun dealing with children. He should have just stayed with Ayame to deal with the cart since Gai took care of all the bandits before he arrived. Lee always had the best luck with children during the babysitting d-ranks they were forced to do. It was the only thing that failed was good at.

"I got them all Gai-Sensei." Neji announced with the group of about ten children behind him, all of which asked him at one point what was wrong with his eyes.

It reminded him of his academy days, but unlike then Neji couldn't challenge them to a spare to show them how much more superior the Hyūga clan was.

"Excellent Work Neji. Now Is One Of You Aiko-chan?" Gai ask the hoard of children.

"T-that's me mister." A small girl with short black hair said, still hiding behind Neji.

 _A weakling just like my cousin._ Neji thought though none of that showed on his face.

"Your Parents Are Very Worried, And Sent Us To Find You. And We Will Find All Of Your Parents!" Gai told the children, some started to cry but the green wearing man payed no attention.

"Neji, How Are Ayame and Lee Fairing?"

With a sigh only on the inside, Neji activated his Byakugan.

"The cart arrived. Ayame just signed for them to take two each, yet there is still a man staying in the cart. Presumably to watch the children." Neji explained, ignoring the children who are staring at him once more.

"One Of Us Should Stay-"

"I'll go help then." Neji interrupted, not wanted to spend another moment with the kids.

Neji waited long enough to see Gai give his aprove before leaving the cave. His Byakugan was still active even though he was starting to feel the Chakra drain from using it so often. Running with 360 vision was also a little disoriented, but Neji has practiced.

"LEE!"

Neji focused his vision to Ayame just in time to see her body flicker to where Lee was fighting. It was then he noticed his obnoxious teammate was too involved in his fight to notice he was standing on the edge of a 56 foot drop into the ocean.

Neji couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when he saw Ayame was able to grab him in time. Though the two were both awful at anything having to do with chakra control, it seems all of Gai's training pulled off and she was able to hold both her and Lee's weight on the vertical wall.

Then he saw Lee's opponent get back up and slam her weapon onto the ground. By the time Neji realized what the bandit was trying to do, he was already engaged in combat. A quick jab to her left and right disabling some of her chakra points and she was down.

Neji could only watch as he two teammate fell. The ground above them crumbed from the force of the women attack and caused the cliff side to erode, Lee and Ayame along with it.

Time seemed to stop as Neji realized that they might die. It was odd since Neji thought to himself many times how he wouldn't care, that if it happened it was fated to. Still, a part of him never thought that it would. The two were too annoying to die in a simple manner, it would be because the two overreached, tried something far beyond their limits. However now Neji is faced with the realization that might happen. If they hit the water without chakra enhancing their limbs, or fall on the rock on just the right angle...

Before Neji could continue thinking of all the ways his annoying teammate could meet their death, chakra exploded out of Ayame. It was so dense that Neji thought he might be able to see it even without his his Byakugan. It was looked red instead of the normal blue under his eyes, and moved in a way Neji has never seen chakra react. It wrapped around Ayame, coming out of nowhere. The new chakra was do dense it was hiding Neji's view of Lee's and Ayame's systems.

Neji rushed over to the edge as if that could change what he saw. The odd chakra bubbled out, wrapping around Ayame like a formless aura.

Ayame's screams of panic morphed into an inhuman cry as some of the chakra shot out like an arm, grabbing the cliff side. The two's fall stopped suddenly enough Neji was surprised that Lee wasn't ripped out of Ayame's grasp.

The chakra arm flicked and the two were flying back up.

Neji took a step back just in time for Ayame to land where he was standing. The chakra surrounding her was so thick that Neji could feel it in the air. It invaded his lungs and Neji felt like he was going to suffocate on the foreign Chakra alone.

"Ayame?" Neji asked, for the girl standing before him hardly looked like the one he has been training with.

Ayame was quick to show her Happiness and jokes around like a fool. At least Neji has found out she was serious enough on missions, but now Neji realized how little he knows.

This Ayame had her teeth showing, but it was no smile. It was a feral thing, and it made Neji realize he has never seen Ayame mad. Frustrated sure, but it never lasted long before the girl laughed it off like water off oiled skin.

Ayame's eyes flickered around the battlefield before landing on Neji. She stopped, and the wild look on her face calmed as she closed her eyes hard. The chakra seemed to evaporate off her and was gone almost as quickly as it came.

Ayame then wavered in pace, eyes still closed and Neji caught her without thinking.

Only to fall over as well from the combined weight of Ayame and Lee. Which was how Gai found them along with the horde of children.

* * *

"Why did you do that?" Ayame yelled at the giant monkey.

While her body rested, Ayame wasted no time in coming to her shared mindspace with the tailed beast. Who knew that using demonic chakra was even more exhausting than training with Gai. That the chakra made Ayame feel like she could take on anyone, that there would be no need for her to worry about dieing again if she was this powerful. It was like a cloud filled her mind but it didn't matter because Ayame wasn't cold for the first time in a while.

That was until she saw Neji face staring at her and Ayame forced herself to take back control.

Ayame was conflicted and meeting the tailed beast to talk about it wasn't making her any less worried. Even the forest looked more sinister now, though Ayame doesn't know if that was because of her or Gokū mindset.

" **Do what exactly?"** Gokū asked looking very confused.

"That Chakra! You can't just push that onto me."

" **You were worried you were going to die. Would you have rather I let you to your fate?"**

"Yes! No, Maybe? I don't know! How were you even able to do that with the seal?" Ayame ended up asking since the seal on the tori was still there and looks the same as ever.

" **It was the same with Roshi."** Gokū said like that explained everything.

Ayame groaned into her hands as she forced herself to calm down. She was never good at arguing when emotions were high, not to mention she was talking to a creature way more powerful than her.

"So you didn't try opening the seal? Didn't try to use my fear as a method for escape?" Ayame said before she could think of a nicer way to ask.

But that has been a question that has been bothering her for years now.

The Naruto show portrayed the nine tail and one tail as beast that were always looking for a way to get free from their jailer. By the end Naruto was able to gain his approval, but that was after years of fighting and training. Gokū on the other hand has never asked her to remove the seal even though she looked like a little girl the first time they met.

This was the first time they have even talked about it!

Ayame thought that maybe Gokū was luring her into a false sense of security which was why Ayame decided to try and became friends with the use of storytelling. Yet nothing changed. And now it sound like Gokū let her use his power to save her out of the goodness of his heart!

_Why would a powerful practically immortal being want to help someone who is his jailer? The weak little meat sack that was between him and his freedom..._

" **Don't presume I think like a human Nohara Ayame."** Gokū interrupted and Ayame looked away in embarrassment.

" **I have lived through many human lives, and I will live through many more. However for as long as humans know how to seal us away, my brother and sisters will never be free as you put it. The only choice I have is to choose who I want to be stuck with for an amount of time.**

" **Rōshi was the only human I would dare call a partner, however I would not mind working with you. You treat me with respect and so I would rather not have to deal with another human before I have to."**

Ayame looked back at Gokū in shock.

Of all the ways she imagined this conversation going, this wasn't one of them.

"Are you saying as long as I keep being a civil person with you, you'll keep me alive?"

" **I enjoy your stories as well."** Gokū said and Ayame couldn't help but laugh.

Ayame spent so long thinking that the only way for her to work with Gokū was to go to that magical island place, only to find out that talking with Gokū like she would with another person was all she needed to do.

"So, as long as I keep telling you stories you'll help me?" Ayame joked.

" **Yes."** Gokū said seriously enough that Ayame was close to face palming.

"But still, I would rather you ask me - or at the very least warn me - before overpowering me with your chakra. If I didn't notice soon enough I could have harmed one of my friends." Ayame told him, unable to stop the thoughts of what would have happened if she didn't recognize Neji.

" **I don't understand why you work with them, but I will agree. It would defeat the purpose if I give you more chakra then your body could take. Rōshi and I had to work together for year before getting to the point where he was able to control half of my chakra."**

"Thank you for understanding." Ayame said when she couldn't think of anything else to say.

She couldn't help but think this was too good, but Gokū hasn't given her any reason to think that. If anything it was because of the Naruto show she thinks that. Gokū doesn't seem like anything like the nine tails, and not much was seen of the one tail or other tailed beasts.

" **You are welcome Ayame."**

"Thanks." Ayame said before realizing she just said that.

"Well, I think i'm going to be leaving now."

" **You can not leave. I am sealed inside you."**

_And now it got weird._

* * *

"She's waking up!"

Ayame opened her eyes to the slightly intimidating view of Gai and Lee leaning over her.

"How Are You Feeling Ayame-chan?" Gai said staring her down with a very intense look that had Ayame squirming in place.

"Fine." Ayame simply said as she sat up.

Her body felt sore, but that was about it. Looking around, Ayame noticed that they set up camp while she was out, and not the normal setup but a camp like in her past with tents.

"I Deeply Apologize For Not Arriving Sooner. I Have Failed As your Sensei." Gai said before tears started streaming down his face.

_Really? It wasn't that bad. Not like we had to face a missing nin or something._

"No you haven't Gai-Sensei! You are the best teacher we could ever have, and I will train non-stop until you realize that once again!"

When Lee turned around to face Gai, Ayame saw the back of his shirt looked like it was burned. The skin that was showing was also red and blistered.

 _That was from me. I was still holding onto Lee while that happened, and while my body has somewhat gotten accustom to it, Lee got the blunt force of foreign corrosive chakra._ Ayame thought to herself as she grimaced at the sight.

"What even was that?"

Ayame broke out of her thoughts to see Neji standing off to the side staring her down.

"What the demonic chakra? It's a pretty normal side effect from being an Jinchūriki." Ayame emotionlessly joked.

"What?" Lee and Neji both yelled, though in vastly different tones.

Lee looked confused, like he never heard the word before which was what Ayame was expecting. It wasn't the kind of information Genin would have access to.

Neji however...

"So that's how the fourth was able to defeat the nine tails. He sealed the beast inside of you." Neji said nodding to himself.

"Actual, I wasn't even in Kohona yet when that happened. I have Gokū since his previous keeper died in my home town. Then I moved to Konoha and..." Ayame explained waving her hand in the air.

 _Didn't think he would reach that conclusion._ Ayame thought to herself as she looked around at their confused faces.

"Gokū?" Gai asked.

"I mean the four tails." Ayame added before a silence fell over the camp.

Neji and Lee looked to be very lost in thought, clearly resetting their view of their teammate. Even Gai seemed to be thinking things over. Ayame didn't even have a faintest idea of what since he clearly know about her Jinchūrik status long before tonight.

Ayame just wanted to sleep. There was just way too much for her to worry about right now.

"Well, then I would like to thank you and Gokū-San for saving me." Lee said, breaking the silence like shattered glass.

"You shouldn't thank me." Ayame said.

_It was more dumb luck than anything. There was so many ways that could have gone better._

"No. You need be thanked. I need to train more, and I Promise that this will be the last time you will have to save me like this!" Lee announced to them all.

"That's The Spirit Lee! Though I Do Need To Tell You That Ayame Being A Jinchūrik Is Considered A S-Rank Secret." Gai told them all, which surprised even Ayame.

"S-rank? Was I not suppose to tell them?" Ayame asked Gai, because though this wasn't the way she wanted to inform them, Ayame knew they would find out at some point.

She found it annoying how in the Naruto show Sasuke and Sakura never figured it out or were told. But s-ranks secret were the kind where people get killed if they find out about it.

"It's Fine Ayame-chan. Why Don't You Three Get Some Sleep. I'll Take the Night Shift." Gai said with a smile, though it didn't seem as bright as it normally would.

"Hai Gai-Sensei!" Lee said and Neji and Ayame nodded in agreement.

 _Sleep sounds really good right now_. Ayame thought as she lied back down on her mat.

With her eyes closed, Ayame listened to the sounds around her as she tried to slip out of consciousness. The sounds of Lee's light snores were already present which was to be expected since the boy could go out like a switch. Naruto was the same way, as well as her hyperactive cousin in her past life.

Neji was a silent little shit that would move from one side of the camp to the other without Ayame even noticing. Even when they weren't taking watch shifts. It was annoying, but then again Ayame never knows about it until she wake up.

Therefore Ayame really should have figured out something was up when she could hear Neji walking around the camp.

"Nohora-San. Are you asleep?"

"No, just resting my eyes while lying in my bed. Definitely not trying to sleep or anything." Ayame sarcastically said, but Neji didn't seem to get the hint.

"Good. I wanted to talk more about your... situation. If that is alright."

Ayame lazily opened her eyes to see that Neji was indeed standing over her stareing at her face like this was any other conversation.

She just sighed, silently mourning the fact it might be a while before she goes to bed.

"Go ahead, but at least sit down. It's weird seeing you stand over me like that."

Thankfully Neji did sit down a respectful distance away before speaking again.

"I would like to apologize."

"What." Ayame said, sitting up because that wasn't a question and also the last thing she expected from Neji's mouth.

"You are also tied down to an inescapable destiny due to the mark you bare." Neji continued like Ayame didn't interrupt him.

"Wait a minute. Are you really comparing your... family thing," Ayame said waving to his forehead. "To my sealed beast?"

"Yes. I realize now that you are as bounded by fate as I am. I was born into the branch family, and from that day I was destined to serve the main branch. Just as you were marked by that seal you were destined to become a Konoha ninja. I always thought that you were a nobody and I wondered why you were able to keep up with me, but now I see it is because you are fated to become more.

"So I wanted to apologize for not realizing it sooner." Neji said, and it was really hard for Ayame not to interrupt.

Ayame knows that in the show Neji was a butt until Naruto performed his therapy-jutsu on him, so she was willing to wait. Ayame is well aware that she had a habit of ignoring other's feeling in order to speak the truth or her opinions, which is why the most Ayame has argued with Neji was petty name calling. It allowed her to get rid of some frustration and was harmless.

However this? Ayame can not let this go.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No-"

"Because I don't really want to question your beliefs, but that is bullshit." Ayame said keeping her voice down but no less forceful.

"What?"

"Stop. I listen during your rant so now you are going to listen to mine. I personally don't believe in fate or destiny, but it sounds like to me you are stuck in what you decided was a hopeless situation and decided to build your whole worldview around that. You make it sound like this was always been the way things has been, which is so wrong. Hidden villages hasn't even been around 100 years, and yet you are telling me that there is no change? That there is no random chance or freedom?

Personally, I think all of that has to do with your own viewpoint. If you think things can change, then there is a chance they will. So if you want to change your family, you need to first believe that it can. And even if you can't, I know Hinata wants to change your clan, so maybe you could help her even if you can't see it yourself."

"Hinata wants to get rid of the curse mark?" Neji said in disbelief.

_Honestly, I'm surprised he listened to anything I just said._

"You should try talking to her. Maybe your right and this is all written before we are even born. Maybe i'm right and life is just a bunch of accidents with cause and effects mixed in. But you will never know if you don't try." Ayame concluded, feeling like she was ready to fall asleep sitting up.

She has done it before, so it could easily happen again.

"What you said does make sense, but I am unsure. I will have to think on it." Neji said after a long time, causing Ayame to open her eyes once more.

"Thinking is good. I'm going to sleep now. 'night." Ayame said with a yawn before slipping back into her roll.

"Good night."

* * *

Ayame likes to think of herself as a hopeful realist. The whole 'expect the worst while hoping for the best' mindset.

Therefor Ayame wasn't too surprised to see that Neji acted the same as ever even after their little powwow. Disappointed maybe, but not surprised.

What was surprising though was...

"Where's Lee and Gai-Sensei?" Ayame asked when she arrived at their team training grounds.

They came back to the village early yesterday and Ayame spend her whole day off sleeping.

 _Maybe Gai meant to tell us we have two days off? But then where was Lee?_ Ayame wondered as she walked closed to Neji who was stretching.

"They haven't arrived yet."

"I got here early?" Ayame said because that would make way more sense than Gai or Lee being late.

"No." Neji said and Ayame stared at him in horror.

"And Gai didn't send you word that he would be late. Or that he was with Lee?"

"No."

"Did someone die?"

With that Neji stopped to give Ayame a glare.

"Don't look at me like that. It's obvious that something is wrong! It would be hearing you laugh or something." Ayame said, and since Neji didn't say anything back Ayame assumes he agrees with her.

Regardless, Ayame got ready for their training day since going to look for them would be a waste of time.

When they did arrive, Ayame had a huge smile from the sight of the two.

"Did you guys go shopping or something?" Ayame said unable to keep the amusement out of her voice.

A quick look to Neji showed fear seeping into his normally blank face at the sight of their teammate looking like a mini Gai.

"Yes, well I had to talk to Gai-Sensei about some stuff and he thought having a more youthful look like his would help show off my new resolve." Lee said looking the happiest Ayame has ever seen him.

"I Am Deeply Sorry We Were Late, So To Make It Up Let's Do A Few Laps Around Our Beautiful Village!"

"We should do it on our hands Gai-Sensei!"

"Excellent Idea My Most Youthful Student!"

Meanwhile Ayame turned her head to look at Neji.

"So about that bet."

* * *

It was one of the few missions where he was Kakashi instead of Dog. For four years, he only spent a few days without that mask on. Looking back now, he can see why the Hokage might have been getting worried about him, but at the time it didn't make sense.

Why have him pull a mission with a group of three Chunin and another Jounin when ANBU would work just as well?

Probably had something to do with politics, which is why Kakashi always leaves whenever the Hokage starts talking about finding a replacement.

The mission was an odd one. A few killings, mostly civilians with no clear pattern to it. Fujita Chikako thought it was a missing nin, maybe even a small group. What they could piece together from their movement, was the target was looking for information. Of what? Kakashi couldn't fathom.

They never did find out. For when they arrived in the small trading town, their target was already killed, and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder who that man was to be able to get a lucky hit on the four-tail's Jinchūriki Rōshi.

At that time, Kakashi wasn't thinking about that missing nin, only about the little girl that looked so much like Rin. It only got worst when he heard her family name. Kakashi never thought if Rin had any family. She never talked about them, or if she did Kakashi never listened.

Then when Fujita suggested using her to keep the tail beast from getting loose? Kakashi's mind was filled with images of what he did. Of the promise that he broke.

Yet he didn't say anything to their captain. Just stood guard and pushed everything away. Like he has been doing and will continue to do.

The girl then wanted to be carried by him. It was like she knew he killed one of her relatives and wanted him to suffer (He knows now Ayame had no idea at the time, but she was the type of person who would do that if she could). He agreed, since his mind was still busy with pushing everything else away.

Then he found out Rin would have been her aunt. Not only that, but her father, Rin's older brother, died on the night the nine-tail was released. While he was safe with the others ninja's 'of the future', Rin's brother that was her only family left died caring civilians and children out to the safe zones. Not only did he fail Obito with his promise to keep Rin save, but he failed to keep Rin's precious people save. If she was alive, Rin would be caring for her niece.

She would have spoken up and made sure Ayame wasn't used to keep the four-tail sealed, preventing her from ever learning medical Jutsu that the Nohora clan had a knack for due to having more spiritual chakra then most.

If Rin was still alive, then maybe Kakashi wouldn't feel like he is such a failure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That end part from Kakashi POV ended up being much more depressing then I thought. I may have to do another one later one, but for now I have the first meeting of Hinata with Naruto and Ayame planed for when this story gets 50 reviews on my fanfic.net version.
> 
> Tell me your thoughts on this chapter. I've been waiting to write this scene since I came up with this story idea, so while I'm pretty proud of it i'm sure there are ways I could improve it.


	18. C-rank arc: Training and Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the c-rank arc. Ayame learns Lava style, and seals happen. The writing, not the animal.

 

"Ayame-San?"

Ayame stopped the Jutsu she was gathering chakra for to see Tenten of all people walking up. She has been trying to combine her fire and earth style like she has been doing for years now, but it has already been a hour with no improvement. Ayame could use the distraction.

"Tenten? How did your Chūnin exam go?"

"It went well. Very well." Tenten said with a smile and Ayame noticed she was wearing a green vest despite the hot late summer sun being out.

"You made Chunin on your first try? That's amazing!" Ayame said, not really knowing if that was really abnormal or not.

It was probably more abnormal that a rookie was allowed to take it. Villages only do that it they want to show off their clan best and brightest. Like Naruto's class.

"That's why I wanted to come and thank you. I wouldn't have been able to get past the second exam if it wasn't for your idea about the the limitless storage scrolls."

"Breaking the laws of physics is what I do best. But really, you should be thanking yourself. You gave me some good ideas I want to try, maybe we could meet up and test them some day." Ayame said, surprising herself at how nice that sounded.

When was the last time she just talked theory with someone?

* * *

"I would like that Ayame-San."

"Okay, I have a question." Ayame asked as she finished retelling the first Harry Potter book.

" **You may ask it Ayame.** "

"I should be able to do Lava style Jutsu right?" Ayame hesitantly asked.

Ayame already knew she should be able to, but for some reason she hasn't yet. After being Genin for six months, she decided it was time to swallow her pride and ask Gokū for help.

" **Yes. You can perform Lava release.** "

"Then do you know why I haven't yet?"

" **Because you have not tried yet.** " Goku simply said no Ayame glaring at him the best she could from on top of the Torii she was sitting on.

"I have been trying! I been trying to mix my fire nature chakra with Earth for close to a year and yet nothing has happened. At this point I think I might figure out how to perform two Jutsu at the same time before doing any Lava release."

" **Lava Release is not just Fire and Earth mixed together.** "

"It's not? But I thought since Lava Release is a bloodline only those with the genetic gene or whatever can mix two chakra types together?"

" **That is not Lava Release. Lava chakra is different from Earth or fire. You are right in that you must have both Chakra types, but you are not mixing it in that form.** "

"What do you mean? What other form can I mix it in?" Ayame asked as she looked up at the giant monkey.

" **You have to mix what you humans call your Yin and Yang chakra to form it into Lava type. What you have been doing is splitting your yin and yang into fire and earth, then try to mix the two nature chakra together."** Gokū said like he was reading it out of a textbook.

Ayame lied down as she tried to understand what that meant.

She understands that Yin chakra come from the mind and yang comes from the body, but Ayame has also realized that it's a little more than just that. All chakra is processed in cells, like energy that is stored in ATP. Chakra also has its own system that follows the nervous system but not completely. Therefore Ayame figured that Yin chakra was processed Yang chakra that went through the brain since that is the biggest mass of neurons and also Chakra, outside of the stomach.

To perform any Jutsu you have to mix Yin and Yang in the stomach. That part Ayame doesn't understand, but there was no denying that is what happens. From there the Yin/Yang chakra can be neutral or elemental.

Kakashi showed her how to change it to fire or earth type chakra. Ayame figure that it has to do with the amount of Yin and Yang used, with genetics having a role in how easy it is to achieve it. Which would explain why most jōnins can use more than one elemental type. More practice means that it becomes easier to stray from what is 'natural' to perform, beside neutral chakra which is when Yin and Yang is 50/50.

"So you are telling me I need to find the ratio between Yin and yang chakra that is between fire and earth chakra?"

" **Yes.** "

"Okay. I'll be sure to try that. Thank you."

* * *

"Ayame-chan? Would you by any chance know how to make a weighted chakra seal?" Tenten asked while the two worked on trying to make a storage seal that only release what you want instead of everything.

It wasn't going very well.

"Not really. Gai-sensei has told us about them, and he use to have some, but I don't know what their matrix looks like."

Tenten sighed as she put her head on her hand.

"I was thinking of getting Lee some for his birthday, but they are so expensive. Even with the c-ranks i've been taking regularly I have no where near enough even for the one time use seals."

"Birthday? When's Lee-senpai's birthday?"

"Next month. November 27. Maybe i'll just get him some new bracers."

"You know what? Let's try making our own. I bet we could even make a better version." Ayame said, starting to get excited from the idea of a new project.

"A better version? But hasn't Chakra weights been around since the second Hokage rein?"

"Just because it's been around a lot time doesn't mean it's the best. Chakra weight work as they are intended, so no one has tried to change it. But what if instead of using Chakra to increase the weight you use gravity."

"Gravity? How would that work?"

"You know how there are seals that change the form of pre existing matter, like water to ice?" Ayame asked as she pulled out her notebook, continuing when Tenten gave a slow nod.

"Well, I have a hypothesis that the reason why you can convert Chakra into mass is similar to those seals. Then I started wondering if you can manipulate other forms of energy, or even forces like gravity." Ayame explained, showing off some of the notes she has.

Ayame wanted to figure out how to make something like a black hole with a seal, but starting with gravity manipulation would be a good first step. Not to mention gravity training seems like a good idea. If it worked in the Dragonball universe, why not the Naruto one?

"Density is something that affects gravity, but that would just be the same as weight seal and would require a large weight relative to volume. Acceleration is similar to gravity, but that wouldn't be useful for training." Ayame thought out loud as she went through some of her ideas.

"Which leaves, trying to manipulate the space-time continuum." Ayame said.

Before, Ayame wouldn't even think it was possible to manipulate space-time directly. She read some theoretical science articles that talked about how dark matter manipulates space-time, but in this universe there was already space-time Jutsu that existed. Ayame would have to do some resource, but she was pretty sure the Flying Thunder God that the second Hokage created and the fourth perfected was just crinkle in space-time between the two points. Which might as well be a wormhole.

"Y-you want us to make a space-time ninjutsu seal!"

"Pretty much. Six weeks isn't a lot of time, but this has been something I've been wanting to look into anyways. Should be fun."

Tenten looked at Ayame in disbelief while Ayame just pulled out more of her notes.

"Do you really think you can figure that out before Lee's birthday? Maybe we should try giving it to Lee next year..."

"Maybe, but I work better under pressure. Let's just plan on his birthday and see where that takes us. Now the first thing we need to figure out is how much gravity already affects the space-time continuum."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

If this was earth, Ayame could just use 9.8 as a base, but she has no idea if that was true here. This planet might be similar to Earth, but Ayame has no way of knowing how close. Physical science in this world was nonexistent after projectiles, at least for the public.

"Figure out how much things accelerate when in free fall. Hinata might be able to help." Ayame told Tenten.

Ayame could ask Neji for help, but today was her free day and the Academy should be getting out soon.

"You want to do this now?" Tenten asked as Ayame stood up with an armful of papers, scrolls, and books.

"Sure, why not."

Ayame lead Tenten to the center of the village were the academy and Hokage tower was. There Ayame saw Naruto talking (Or yelling) at Sasuke as they walked outside followed by Sakura and Ino who seemed to interrupt every so often, and Hinata who was between the two vocal girls.

Ayame didn't waste anytime body flickering right in front of them.

"What's up?"

"AAHHH-yame?" Naruto half yelled half questioned, stuttering all the others.

"Ayame-San? What are you doing here?" Hinata asked, the only one who didn't react to Ayame 'appearing out of nowhere'.

"I wanted to ask if you would be willing to help my friend and I with something Hinata-chan."

"Y-you want m-my help?" Hinata asked in shock.

"What are you going to do? Is it a prank? Can I help too?" Naruto excitedly said, evidently forgetting whatever he was talking about before Ayame butted in.

"It's not a prank, but you can come if you want. It's not going to be that exciting though." Ayame warn as Tenten Cauchy up.

"Guys, this is my friend Tenten. Tenten this is Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Sasuke." Ayame said as she gestured to her friends from left to right.

Tenten looked over the academy students, then back to Ayame.

"You're friends with a Hyūga and the last Uchiha?"

_Sasuke's not really the last Uchiha._

"So Hinata would you be willing to help? Please?" Ayame said, ignoring Tenten since her question wasn't worth answering.

"O-Of course."

"Cool. Thanks, Hinata-chan." Ayame said with a wide smile.

"N-no problem. Do you want to go now?"

"If that's okay." Ayame said as Hinata gave a nod.

Sasuke left to go train, while Sakura and Ino left to do their own Practicing.

"Basically, Tenten is going to throw something straight into the air and I want you to tell me how far it is as it falls. Every second if you can."

"Oh, can I throw it?" Naruto asked as they walked to an open area without a lot of people.

"Sorry Naruto, but I really need constant throwing for this. Can I trust you to keep time while I write down what Hinata says the distant is?"

"I guess. But you never told us what you are planning on doing Ayame-chan!"

"It's for training. Hopefully." Ayame vaguely said as they got set up.

Even Though the Academy pounded it into their heads about how to estimate the distance of things, the Byakugan just turned that estimate on it's head. Not only can they see further and clearer than the average human, the Hyūgas can accurately figure out how far that thing they are looking at is.

"Are you ready?"

* * *

About a week later Ayame finished up the last strokes of the seal before showing it off to Tenten.

"You think 150% is good for this test?"

"That would be what you called, 1.5 g? That should be noticeable enough without having to worry about the rock exploding."

Ayame slapped version 15 of the gravity seal onto a large rock that came up to Ayane's hips.

"Okay, it's activated." Ayame said as she took a step back, pulling a chakra canceling seal out just in case.

There was a crushing sound when Ayame first activated the seal, but besides that the rock looked the same. The two girls waited about five minutes, then Ayame sent another chakra push into the seal to stop it.

"That worked perfectly. Do you think we can move to live test subjects?" Tenten asked as Ayame looked over the gravity.

"We could go look for some rabbits in the woods. That would be a good next step." Ayame suggested.

"Do you want to do that now, or start that once you come back from your mission?" Tenten asked.

"Might as well do it now. Who knows how long it will be before you sent out on border patrol or an away mission." Ayame said as she sealed up all of their notes.

An hour later, the girls had a box filled of cute little bunnies and Sakura so she could practice her medical ninjutsu on them if need be.

"You better not hurt them." Sakura threatened as Ayame placed the gravity on one of the bunnies.

"I hope not, but that's why you're here." Ayame said, though it didn't do anything to pacify Sakura.

Ayame placed the bunny back in the cage they made, and took a step back before making a handsign to gather some chakra to activate the seal from a distance.

As soon as the seal glowed from activation, the bunny legs buckled and it fell.

"AYAME!"

"Bunbun is fine Sakura. They're just feeling the intense Gravity." Ayame told Sakura without taking her eyes off the bunny.

"Wait, Bunbun? Did you name all of them?" Tenten asked as they waited for the five minutes.

"Maybe."

The bunny struggled to get up, but in the end the five minutes were up before it did. Then Sakura performed a diagnostic Jutsu while Ayame tested the seal again.

* * *

Even though there hasn't been a lot of issues with the gravity seal, Ayame was very hesitant to test it on a human. So far even when the seal is activated for over an hour, Sakura has only notice inflammation in the joints, which wouldn't be an issue for humans because of their chakra systems.

 _If only there was a step between animal and human..._ Ayame wondered before getting an idea. A great idea.

"Kakashi, do you know the shadow clone Jutsu?" Ayame asked the silver haired young man who was filling out a mission report.

"Mah, Maybe. Are you asking because you want me to teach you it?"

_Me? As much as I like the idea of abusing that whole retain memory thing, that is Naruto's thing._

"I was thinking of using clones to test my seal, but I would need ones that can withstand pressure."

"Hmm, in that case you might want to look into elemental clones."

"Elemental clones? Why?"

"They are stronger the closer affinity you have for the element. Shadow clones is something anyone can use regardless of their chakra type, but it also uses more chakra and isn't as strong as a elemental clone preformed from someone with a strong affinity. Unless you want to get the memory's of your clones, it would be better for you to you an earth clone."

"And would you by chance know how to use an earth clone?"

Kakashi finally looked up from his work with an over dramatic sigh.

"If it means that much to you."

* * *

When November 27 came around, Tenten and Ayame had a small box filled with about ten gravity seal on standard tag sized paper, and one leather belt that had the ink designs dye all around it.

"Happy birthday!" The girls said when Lee opened the door.

"What, Tenten and Ayame? What are you doing here! I thought you two were busy training!"

"We were just getting your gift ready." Ayame said as she handed the box over.

"Thank you. This is very pretty."

"It isn't just pretty, These seals are to help your weight training." Tenten said as Ayame stepped forward to show Lee.

"Theses are one time use seals going from 1.5 to 10g-"

"G being what Ayame called the standard for Gravity. So 1 g would just be normal.

"Ya, and this belt makes it so the seal can be used more than once. All you need to do is slap the seal on over here," Ayame said as she showed Lee one side of the belt. "and to turn it off you send a little chakra over here," Showing Lee the other side.

"So this is like a chakra weight? Thank you so much you guys!"

"Now I know you want to use it now, but be sure to take off all your weights beforehand." Tenten told Lee who was already putting the belt on over his jumpsuit.

"How much have you been using?" Ayame asked as she watched Lee drop the weights on the ground with a loud thump.

"Close to 200 pounds (90.7 kg) I think."

"And how much do you weigh?"

"102 (46.6 kg)!" Lee said with a thumbs up.

"You should be fine starting off with the 2g seal. That would be like 204 pounds (92.5 kg)." Ayame said as Lee tried grabbing the 10 g seal.

"LEE!"

"Ah, sorry. I got excited."

* * *

Winter came and left in a flurry of missions and training. During her personal training time, Ayame worked solely on trying to figure out Lava style. Gokū's advice was very useful even though it meant that everything Ayame has been trying up to that point was for nothing. Ayame decided to start from the basics, using the methods Kakashi taught her to get ready for earth and fire jutsus.

After months, Ayame went from melt a leaf to performing something similar to a fireball only with a blob of lava. Similar in that Ayame started off with the signs required for the fireball Jutsu, only to modify it as she understood more what the chakra needed to do. It was also annoying to realize that signs were more or less just a way to keep your thoughts focused. In the academy they were taught that moving your chakra in a certain way means this seal, but you don't need to use the seal. It just made it easier.

Which is why as you get more use to a Jutsu, you can 'skip' some of the signs, and also why Ayame was able to perform a Lava Jutsu from a fire Jutsu, since she was changing her chakra without the sign associated with it. It was hard, and a little around about, but there was no one in Konoha who could teach her lava style.

Standing in the middle of the small lake, Ayame danced around imaginary enemies as she practiced sending Lava blobs into the water. Then once they harden in the water, Ayame would pick the rock up and melt it in her hand before throwing it like frisbee.

Improvement was slow, but Ayame was improving so it was better than what she was doing before.

"Eh? Ayame-chan? What are you doing here?"

Ayame turned around in surprise to see Naruto standing at the edge of the small lake with Sasuke and Sakura next to him.

"Training. What are you three doing here? Shouldn't you guys be in class or something..." Ayame started to say, only to trail off at the sight of headbands tied around all three of them.

_They already graduated? I thought I had more time!_

"Hehe, I am a ninja like you Ayame-chan! And your dad is our Sensei!"

"My what?" Ayame asked, because she was pretty sure her dad in this life was dead.

"Naruto I told you it wasn't like that!" Sakura said as she hit Naruto in the back of the head.

"The idiot's talking about Kakashi-Sensei." Sasuke helpfully explained.

"Oh... Wait, Naruto this whole time you thought Kakashi was my dad?" Ayame asked, trying to distract herself from what them graduating means.

"Well, maybe! I didn't know you could live with someone who isn't your family." Naruto said looking away.

Meanwhile Ayame started laughing from the idea of Kakashi as a father.

"You thought... that he..." Ayame tried getting out, but couldn't stop laughing.

_Would he even know what to do with a baby?_

"Ayame, is Kakashi-Sensei always late?" Sakura said once Ayame calmed down a little.

"Pretty much." Ayame said before getting off the water. "When did you guys graduate anyways?"

"A week ago. This idiot originally didn't graduate, but then Mizuki tried convincing Naruto to seal a forbidden scroll - which he did - and then helped Iruka captured the traitor."

"So Iruka decided I was too cool to remain at the Academy!" Naruto added as Sasuke glared at him for Interrupting.

"But he didn't tell anyone until the day we met up for our team Assignment." Sakura said looking annoyed.

"Sorry about that Sakura."

"And you three were assigned to Kakashi? How did the test go?" Ayame asked before any argument could start.

_I don't think Naruto told anyone what happened that night, so things has changed slightly. Maybe since they are kinda friends the bell test was easier for them?_

"It. Was. Awful! First Kakashi-Sensei didn't even show up for hours, so I decided to leave him a little present in the door. Sasuke said it wouldn't work but it did! I wish I knew it was Kakashi then I would have have used something else besides white chalk."

"Naruto, Ayame didn't ask you about your prank."

"I'm getting there Sakura! So then I was like 'it's you!' And Sasuke and Sakura stared in shock of my awesomeness-"

"Did not."

"And Kakashi said that he hates us, but I think he was just mad the prank worked." Naruto dramatically explained, with lot of arm waving and voice acting.

"Naruto explained to us who Kakashi-Sensei was, though he told us he was your dad which Sasuke was smart enough to know wasn't the case. Kakashi's just your guardian right?" Sakura asked, making side eyes at Sasuke to see if he notice the compliment.

He didn't.

"I guess. My aunt was part of his Genin team, so I think he feels responsible."

"She must have been the one written on the rock." Sakura said in shock.

"The hero rock? Ayame you didn't tell me your aunt was a hero!" Naruto yelled.

"I never met her." Ayame simply said.

_I always thought it was Obito that was on the rock, but it would make sense that Rin would be on it as well. She did give up her life for the safety of the village._

"Kakashi-Sensei made us do introductions, then told us about the test." Sasuke said giving Ayame a pointed look.

"Sorry I didn't worn you guys about that."

"No you're not. You probably thought it would be funny." Sakura accused, and Ayame shrugged.

That sounded better than the real reason.

"Anyways! Kakashi told us not to eat breakfast but Sakura then said how bad it was to skip a meal, especially when training, so we all decided to meet up for a light lunch."

"Naruto thought Ramen was light." Sakura said as if that was the only reason why Naruto was invited.

"Ya, but it was a good thing because Kakashi-sensei was going to tie up loser of the test and have them miss lunch!"

"The test was for us to take a bell From Kakashi-Sensei, but there was only two. I thought that only two of us were going to pass, but Sakura thought there was something wrong with that. While the idiot distracted Kakashi-Sensei..."

"Hey!"

"... Sakura told me she thinks the bells weren't the real test since you and all the ninjas at the hospital always had Genin teams of three when set up with a Jōnin leader."

"It just made sense." Sakura said with a slight blush from Sasuke talking about her in a positive light.

"Unfortunately I didn't think that our Sensei would lie about the test, which was a mistake Naruto would make..."

"That's it! I'm telling the test of the story believe it!" Naruto said as he tried tacking Sasuke who just side stepped him.

"Unlike the bastard, I knew Sakura was right because she is so smart! So I thought we should work together and then when Sasuke sees how great we were he would realize that Sakura was right as well. But It didn't work too well and I ended up being tied up for being too strong."

"We ran out of time, but Kakashi was going to give us another chance if we didn't give Naruto any of our lunch. But since out of all of us Naruto used the most Chakra, I decided it would be better for him to eat. Sasuke-kun did as well, this time he was ready to work with us and..."

"Kakashi-Sensei appeared out of nowhere like you do Ayame!" Naruto said and both Sakura and Sasuke agreed.

"After trying to scare us, he told us the real meaning of the test was teamwork. That if breaking the rules made you scum, then abandoning your teammates made you worse than scum." Sasuke said with a thoughtful look.

"Then he showed us the rock and told us that everyone with there names on it was a hero." Naruto interrupted once more.

"And the idiot said that he wanted to be on the rock."

"That's because he left out the dead part!"

"That... sounded way more eventful than my team test." Ayame said, thinking over what they told her.

 _Sounds like it ended up like it did in canon, only with Sakura figuring out the meaning before hand. But it didn't seem like it didn't change much._ Ayame thought with a frown.

"Hey Ayame, Now that we are ninjas can you teach us some cool Jutsus? Like what you were just doing? Please?" Naruto begged.

"You mean the lava style? Sorry Naruto but that's a bloodlimit, I literally can't teach you that. Beside shouldn't Kakashi be the one to teach you?" Ayame said noting how Sasuke looked at her when she said Bloodlimit.

"He wouldn't even get here until noon, then we have to do d-ranks. There has to be something you can teach us. I want to get better mission as soon as I can believe it!"

"Naruto, Ayame probably has better things to do. Today's your day off right?" Sakura asked, but Ayame didn't pay much attention.

"You guys haven't learned tree walking yet, right?" Ayame asked though she is pretty sure they haven't.

_I thought with Kakashi teaching me so much he would be more willing to be involved with their training. Then Again, I am much more self driven then Naruto and Sakura. And Sasuke is even worst than me when it comes to asking for help._

"What's that?" Naruto asked, looking way too excited to learn what was a more advanced chakra control exercise.

"I'll show you."Ayame said as she walked over to the tree line.

It was crazy to think she was the same (physical) age as these three. Naruto was still shorter than her, but Sakura and Sasuke were a bit taller. Not as much as Neji and Lee, but Ayame was getting worried that she was going to be short in this life. Her mother in this life wasn't too short, but Ayame knows nothing about the Nohara clan.

While thinking, Ayame just continued walking straight up the tree, stopping half way up to look back.

"What? How are you climbing with out your hand!"

"I'm sending Chakra to the bottom of my feet." Ayame said before flipping off the tree. "The key is finding the balance between enough chakra to keep you on the tree and not too much so the tree doesn't explode."

"That sounds like that leaf thing." Naruto whined, causing Sakura to turn to him with her hands on her hips.

"I told you that was important! It's to help your chakra control, which is what it sounds like is what you need for this technique."

"That is the base for tree walking, and the water walking I was doing over there. It took me a few weeks to get to the point Where I could walk up a tree without getting splinters everywhere, and that was with Neji using his Byakugan to help me."

"I bet I can do it in a week, believe it!" Naruto announced, which seemed to set them all off.

Naruto ran at the tree and took three steps before falling, while Sasuke got his foot stuck in the tree. Sakura got as far as Ayame did, before having to stop and sit on a branch to keep from falling.

"That was what I was expecting." Ayame said watching the scene that was almost a carbon copy of the scene from the wave arc.

_Maybe learning this beforehand will help? Not like there is much I can do about that mission since If I told them, Naruto would be even more willing to take it. Not to mention it's important for them to understand how serious this all is._

"I'll get it this time!" Naruto said before attacking the tree once again.

"Don't worry Ayame-chan, you can go back to training, I'll make sure Naruto doesn't kill himself." Sakura said as she calmly walked back down the tree.

"Sakura you are amazing." Ayame said before going back to the lake.

Ayame felt like she should leave them be since she only started training here because it was alway empty. Like Kakashi had a monopoly on the sight or something.

_Then again, I'm going to meet up with Tenten later so I might as well finish what I was doing._

Hearing the screams of Naruto and frustrated grunt of Sasuke definitely made her training more interesting. If only she could come up with a solid plan of what she wants to do now.

_Shit is going to get real._

* * *

"T-th-thank you f-for w-walking with m-me..." Hinata started to say only for Neji to already be gone.

It has nearly been a year since she started attending classes at the academy. Everyday Neji would walk with her only to split up as soon as she was safely inside.

"Hey look! It's freak eyes!"

It doesn't matter what happened inside the school. It was only words and even if Hinata thought her dad would care, there was no way she was going to bring it up in case Neji gets in trouble for it.

"Ayah, She'd also too stupid to say anything back."

"Really? What if I do this!"

Hinata finally looked up when she felt the shove, and closed her eyes when she started to fall backwards. However instead of the pain of falling down, she felt something holding her up.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm not going to let you bully anyone, believe it!"

Hinata opened her eyes to see a small boy with hair as bright as the sun in front of her.

"Hey, are you ok? Sorry we didn't get here sooner."

Hinata looked back to see a girl her age holding her up. Hinata couldn't help but stare at the girl with the messy chin length brown hair with purple eyes the same color as her chakra marking on her checks. She was also looking at Hinata with a small smile that had one corner of her mouth higher than the other side.

"Hey, that's the demon kid!" The sunshine boy seemed to shrink at that, but the girl behind her moved so quickly Hinata almost fell.

"So? You're the one who is bullying a little kid for no reason, to me that sounds more like a demon kid. Besides, i'm sure the teachers would love to hear that you are messing with the Hyūga heiress." The girl said, acting like she wasn't talking to a boy easily two years her elder.

"Fine. I'll let you weirdo be. Freaks."

The girl shock her head before turning back to the boy, saying something too quiet for Hinata to hear.

Hinata just watched the two. They appeared just in time to help her, just like heros. Real ones, like in the stories her mom use to read to her. Hinata wanted to thank them, wanted to ask if they wanted to be her friend, but she couldn't move.

Maybe, another day she could. Hinata was fine with just watching the two for now.

Then the two turned back around and the boy gave a huge smile rubbing the back of his head.

"We're in the same class right? Would you like to walk with us?" The girl said with a smaller smile but no less bright.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and i'm going to be the next hokage!" The boy said with a smile and the other girl laughed in her hand.

"Are you really going to introduce yourself like that every time?"

"Well until everyone believes me. So far it's just you." Naruto said, mumbling the last part.

"I-I b-believe y-you c-can." Hinata said, not believing she actually said that to them.

And to make it better the two were still smiling at her!

"Ah, thanks." The boy said sheeply.

"Well, I'm Nohara Ayame. Pleasure to meet you." The girl said, even adding a bow.

Even that was different from how others have done it.

"I-i a-am H-hyuga H-Hin-Hinata. P-Please t-take c-care of m-me." Hinata returned with a bow.

"Great. You can also eat lunch with us, if you want to." Ayame said and Hinata thought her face was going to melt from how hot her cheeks felt when she accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter yet, so much so that I thought about not adding that part with Hinata at the end. But I did want to put that in when I got 50 review, which I did.
> 
> The part about Chakra yin/yang and ratio is an idea I got from Zbluez's "What Doesn't Kill you" Which is a great Naruto si/reincarnation story.
> 
> As for the Ayame romance poll which is up on my fanfic profile, Hinata is still in first, with Sakura in second now and Sasuke/Neji in third. I hope the reason why Neji shot up has to do with the lovely scene between them last chapter, because I had a lot of fun writing that.
> 
> Also, I've been reading a really good Harry Potter Naruto crossover called "Stick and Stones" by redninjalass19 that makes me want to write a spin off of this story where team Gai gets a mission to bodyguard Harry or something. It wouldn't be canon to this story, but I think it would be funny.
> 
> I am so excited for the next chapter! I was thinking of writing another extra scene for when this story got 200 follower, but that already happened. Is there anything you would like to see? reebajee gave me the idea of doing something about Naruto meeting Kakashi for the first time(s), so I might tag that to the next chapter.
> 
> Until next time!


	19. Chūnin Exam arc: The First Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first chapter in the Chūnin Exam arc.

**Chapter 19: The First Exam**

Sakura slowed down to a walk as she saw her destination.

They had the week off because of their mission, but Sakura just couldn't relax. Somewhere during the middle of the night Sakura decided to ask Ayame for help.

However now that she was in front of the house, she remembered that it was also Kakashi-sensei's house.

_I don't have to do this. It would just be a waste of their time._ Sakura said as she stop by the door.

Then as luck would have it, the door flung open and almost hit Sakura.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here? Don't you have the day off?" Ayame asked with a tilt of her head.

"Um, well, I wanted to ask you something. It can wait if you have training or whatever." Sakura said when she notice Ayame was wearing her ninja outfit.

"I can wait a few minutes. Kakashi mentioned you came back from your mission yesterday." Ayame prompted, guessing correctly at what she wanted to talk about and Sakura sighed.

"It was supposed to be just a c-rank." Sakura told her friend, as they walked casually away from the house.

"Then there was some mist ninjas called the demon brothers, and even though that would bump it up to a b-rank, Sasuke-kun and Naruto wanted to continue, so I agreed. I thought since i'm studying to be a medic ninja, it doesn't matter if i'm not strong like Sasuke-kun... but he got hurt and I thought he died." Sakura said, and if she looked over to Ayame, she would have seen the thoughtful look on her face and would have questioned why she didn't seemed surprised.

But as it was, Sakura just continued her story. Grateful that there was someone she could talk to about this. Her parents wouldn't have understood, and Ino was gone on a mission. Not to mention Ayame had good advice when she wasn't acting childish like Naruto.

"I thought that as I tried healing him. I closed the wounds, but I still couldn't hear his heartbeat, and I thought it was my fault. Naruto was fighting with him, and even though I was protecting the client, I didn't do anything to help. Besides my book smarts and chakra control, I don't really have much going for me..."

"That's not true. You were one of the best Taijutsu fighters in our class and had no trouble with genjutsu."

"I know. But I never focused on that since I didn't think I would be a front line fighter but... I don't want to leave them alone either. Sasuke-kun is strong, but he's not the strongest and Naruto is always getting himself in trouble. I..." _Don't want to see them die_ Is what Sakura wanted to say, but even voicing that idea seemed too much.

"No matter how good I get with healing, I can't bring back the dead." Sakura said instead, leaving a silents to form between the two as the walked in through the gray morning.

"You are also good at Taijutsu, and your a girl, so I thought maybe you could help me come up with a training plan?" Sakura concluded, still not wanting to look up from her feet.

"Whoa. Talk about character development."

"I'm serious Ayame." Sakura said finally looking up, only to see her friend wasn't mocking her.

"I know. I've been waiting for you to take this seriously, and I would love to help, but why don't you ask Kakashi? He is your teacher."

With that Sakura looked away sheepishly.

"I will, but I wanted to get caught up with Naruto and Sasuke before I do. They both are always asking for new Jutsu and Kakashi always tell them they should train more."

"Really? Huh, he never told me that... but then again I normally only asked after trying to do it by myself. Okay then. I was going to do some warm up, so why don't you came with me? I'm sure Gai-Sensei wouldn't mind."

"No that's okay, I don't want to intrude on your team training."

"It's not really team training since Neji is never there because of clan training. It's only for a few hours then we get our mission, but I think it's a pretty good training regiment, and Gai-Sensei designed it for Taijutsu specialists so it sounds like what you were looking for. Just try it for today Sakura."

"Just for today." Sakura agreed since all she knew about training was from school.

She never did more than what was required in the Academy and now it was showing.

As they walked, conversations moved to lighter topics. Namely Sasuke. Unlike Ino, Sakura wasn't sure if Ayame was truly over Sasuke. Knowing what she does about the girl, it would make more sense for Ayame to decide that 'love' wasn't worth it. Which Sakura thinks is just sad. She loves Sasuke, but there was no denying that he was better friends with Ayame. Until Sakura knows for sure that Ayame moved on, she will hold on to her love for the black hair boy.

However, There was no way Sakura was going to let Ino try before her. A girl has to be selfish sometimes.

"Hey Gai-Sensei. Would it be alright if my friend trains with us this morning?" Ayame asked as soon as Sakura saw two hideous green wearing monsters.

_This is her team?!_

"Of Course She Can. What Is Your Name Friend Of One Of My Youthful Students?" The taller green wearing man said.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you." Sakura said politely.

"A pretty name for a pretty girl. My name is Rock Lee, Konoha's handsome Devil!" The mini Gai said with a wink.

"Urgh." Sakura couldn't help but vocalize, but quick look to Ayame revealed that she was laughing at her!

"Ah, Such Youthfulness. Let us Begin Our Day With 100 Laps!"

"And if I can not do that without stopping then I will do 50 laps on my hands!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Gai said

"You can stop if it's too much for you Sakura." Ayame said as they passed the second gate along the outer wall, Lee and Gai leading the front.

"No. I can do it. It's just... around the village right?"

"Kind of. There is a route we take. Around the wall, then through the town and some of the woods..."

"And you do that... 100 times! Everyday?"

"When we don't have a day off. You get use to it." Ayame said with a shrug not even slightly out of breath.

Sakura just pursed her lips and focused on her breathing.

_No pain no gain, right?_

* * *

Ayame was a little worried when Sakura left, her legs were shaking and she still had missions to do.

It has been a solid week of Sakura joining them in the morning, but this was the first time Sakura has been able to finish along with them. Sakura looked so proud of herself that Ayame couldn't bring herself to tell Sakura they are all wearing weights.

"Who was that?" Neji asked when he came, passing Sakura.

"Just a friend of mine. She wanted an example of a Taijustu based training regiment. How was the clan training Neji-senpai-kun-sama?"

"It... wasn't bad." Neji said with something that might have been a smile.

Ayame hasn't learned how to read stoic Hyūga yet. Maybe he just farted or something.

"Now That Everyone Is Here, I Have Great News!" Gai said, scaring some of the birds, as he handed them each a stiff piece of paper.

_Registration forms? For the..._

"You're nominating us for the Chūnin exam!" Lee yelled.

"Yes. Your Teamwork And Independ Skills As Improved Tremendously Since We First Met. It Will Not Be Easy, But I Have Faith That You Three Will Be Able To Go Far!" Gai said with his 'Good Guy Pose'.

"I will not disappoint you Gai-Sensei!" Lee said with tears running down his face.

"When do we have to turn these in?"

"You Have Two Days. Be Sure To Think It Over. The Chunin Exams Can Be Very Dangerous. Which Is Why We Will Be Training Until Then."

_Two days. Okay. Time to come up with some plans._

* * *

"Are you guys ready?" Ayame asked as she ran up to the boys who looked like they were waiting for her for a while now.

"Yes. What do you have in your hand?" Neji said giving her a cautionary look.

"It's the thing i've been working on! Communication seals!" Ayame said as she gave them each one.

"It's pretty simple, but it gets hot when you send a message, and there is a blank space where, if you write on it, it will show up on the others. I haven't tested the max range yet, but last night I was able to send Kakashi a grocery list when he was in the village square."

"From your house? That's amazing Ayame-chan!"

"I thought it might be useful. Considering we have to sign up as a team, it would make sense to test our team work in one of the parts."

"Thank you." Neji said, surprising Ayame as he put it in the inside of the jacket sleeve.

"We will become Chūnins for sure!" Lee yelled, but Neji held them back from getting any closer to the tower.

"We should have a plan before going in. While we are not rookies, we still will be the youngest and lest experience there."

"So underplay our skills?" Ayame said and Neji gave a nod.

"What if we get in a fight and purposely lose? Act like some hot shot without any skill?" Lee asked.

"Maybe, but some can tell if you are holding back in a fight. We could just act shy and demure." Ayame added, since Lee's fight in the show didn't work too well once team 7 showed up.

"Drawing less action might be best." Neji agreed, and with that they walked to the academy.

It was odd seeing the academy not filled with little children. Neji was the oldest since he just turned 14, but it seemed like most of the participants were still a few years older than that. There was only a few teams outside, more inside trying to find the stairs. Since the academy was the first three floors, with the Hokage tower above that, it was a well protected maze.

_We definitely have the home advantage._ Ayame thought with a smile as they quickly went to the second floor.

"Here it is! 301." Lee yelled as he pointed the the room that had a huge crowd in front of it.

"Huh? But aren't we on the second floor?" Ayame asked just as Neji grabbed both of them and sent a chakra shot through them.

"Neji! What was that for?"

"They had a genjutsu on the sign. If you stare at it too long it will lure you into a false sense of security." Neji explained.

"I could have disrupt it myself." Ayame said, even though she forgot about the genjutsu trick the gate guards made.

"It would have taken too long. Let's get going." Neji said and Ayame gave Lee a look before following.

"Do you think the lovely Sakura will be able to notice the genjutsu Ayame? She seemed so excited when she told you their team was nominated yesterday."

"Sakura's really good at genjutsu. And even if she failed to notice, Sasuke would."

"Sasuke. That wouldn't be Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Please don't tell me you want to fight him."

"How did you know? Do you think there would be time?" Lee asked as they passed the crowd unseen by the other teams.

Ayame noticed that the Chūnin pretending to be genin looked over, but they didn't say anything.

"We have a little over 30 minutes, but Tenten mention that the third part of her exam was a ranked one on one fighting tournament."

"Hizashi-sama said something similar. It is how we gain new and keep our old clients. Beside this being our chance to get promoted, it is good for the village if we can making to that round and show off our skills."

"I see. So if Sasuke and I make it to that round, we could fight with everything we have." Lee said with fire in his eyes.

"Yep." Ayame said as she took another look back.

_They should be fine. I'll just make sure to talk to them before the second exam starts._

When they opened the door to the real 301, hundreds of eyes were staring at them. At least half also wear the leaf symbol and their headbands, but more than Ayame thought didn't.

_Feels just like a college lecture, but with more 'i want to kill you' then 'i want to die' vibes._

"Ayame-chan you made it."

"Oh, hey Ino-chan. You're taking the exam as well?" Ayame said with a wave as she walked away from the door over to where Ino was hanging out with Shikamaru and Chōji.

"Of course. I heard that everyone who graduated from our year got nominated." Ino said turning to look at Ayame's teammates.

"Well, seems your team is balance in the looks department at the very least." Ino deadpanned while Ayame rolled her eyes.

"Ino-chan, this is Hyūga Neji, and Rock Lee. Guys, this is Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji. We were in the same class."

"Nice to meet another friend of Ayame-chan!" Lee said with a bright smile.

"Are those eyebrows real?" Ino whispered into Ayame ear.

"You should see our sensei." Was all Ayame said before the doors were slammed open.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino said before groping the poor boy.

"Ino you can't just hug Sasuke without his permission. Right, Ayame-chan?" Sakura said as she forcefully removed Ino.

"But it has been so long since I have seen you all." Ino whined, though she didn't look too disappointed.

"Why didn't you give Sakura or me a hug then?" Naruto questioned as he crossed his arms.

"Well..." Ino started to say before the door opened again.

_I'm starting to see why everyone stares at whoever enter. That door is loud._

"Found you!"

"Hi Hinata-chan." Ayame said when she saw it was their team that arrived.

"H-hello everyone." Hinata said before Kiba stepped in front.

"It look like everyone is assembled. Even you! You stupid Dog stealer!" Kiba said pointing a figure at Ayame.

"Lies. I did no such thing, did I Akamaru?" Ayame said as she petted the white dog on Kiba's head.

"Woff!"

"You traitor." Kiba said as he took Akamaru and held him away from Ayame who shrugged.

"Kiba-kun, I d-doubt Ayame-chan w-wanted to seal Akamaru. She just likes dogs." Hinata added.

"Hey, you guys should be more quiet." Ayame looked to see Fucking Kabuto walking over to them.

"He right. We are causing a lot of attention." Neji said giving Ayame a pointed look.

"I can't help being so popular."

"Please. If it wasn't for me, Naruto would have been your only friend." Ino said as she put a hand on her hip.

"You guys are rookies just out of the academy right?" Kabuto said and Ayame stopped smiling.

"Not all of us. So why don't you leave." Ayame said ignoring the look her team gave her.

"Who do you think you are, barging into our conversation?" Ino added.

"I'm Kabuto, but instead of that, maybe you should look behind you?" Kabuto said and everyone beside Ayame, Neji and Ino took a look.

"Those guys right behind you are from Rain, they have short tempers. Everyone is nervous about the exam, you may want to quiet down before you cause a scene." Kabuto warned them.

_Is Orochimaru already here?_ Ayame wondered even though she keep herself from looking around.

She knew if she looked and paused on whoever Orochimaru was disguised as that would be suspicious. Ayame just didn't trust her acting skill enough to not to look like she recognize him.

"I shouldn't blame you. I sure this is all of your first time taking the test, even if you are not _all_ clueless rookies. Reminds me of how I use to be." Kabuto continued to say when no one spoke up, Neji moving into a defensive stance when Kabuto's hand went to his pouch.

"Kabuto-san? Is this your second time then?" Sakura asked, looking a little nervous now.

"Nope. This is my seventh. Since this exam is held twice a year, that makes this my fourth year."

Kabuto gave Neji a smile as he slowly pulled out some cards.

"Oh you must have been in the Chunin exam with Tenten last year!" Lee said looking quite excited.

"Was that the sealing mistress with the weapons? I'm afraid I didn't even make it far enough to fight that time. But I can share with you some of the information I have gathered through the year with these Nin-info cards."

"Ninja info cards sounds better." Ayame couldn't help but say.

"Yes, well the name isn't that important. What is important is that these cards have info burned onto them with chakra. Four years worth of information within 200 cards that may look blank unless I use my chakra." Kabuto explained as he demonstrated it.

One of the cards poofed into a map more than ten times its original size. In each of the major countries, there was a bar like from a bar graph sticking up like some kind of holograph.

Ayame would have loved to asked how he did that, but she was too focused on making her face as neutral as possible.

"What kind of Information is this?" Ino asked as she got closer.

"This is the number Ninja taking the exam along with the breakdown of where they are from."

"Do you have cards with info on individuals?" Sasuke asked and Kabuto smirked.

"Hehe, there are some guys you're worried about? Of course, the info on all of this exam's participants isn't perfect, but I do have it. Even you guys. Tell me something about these guys and I'll take a look." Kabuto said as he took the map card back, and shuffled the deck like some kind of evil magician.

"Gaara of the hidden sand." Sasuke said.

"Oh you know his name, this should be easy then." Kabuto said as he shuffled the deck again before swiping the top card and holding it out for everyone to see.

"Gaara of the Desert. Mission History included 8 c-ranks and... 1 b-rank? Wow, a B-rank as a genin... Well, since he's a newcomer from a foreign country I don't have much information but, it seems he returned from all his missions without even a scratch." Kabuto read out loud to them.

As Kabuto continued monologuing, Ayame wondered how much he really does know. She could recall he was Sasori's spy before becoming Orochimaru, and before that he was part of root. Or still is, the whole triple spy thing is complicated looking at it from a linear point of view rather than the lense of the plot.

_Would Kabuto know anything about the current state of the hidden sand? That Gaara's their Jinchūriki? What does he know about Konoha? I didn't think Orochimaru knew about Naruto before the forest of death, but how much can I rely on that?_

"So basically all the people here are the best of their rank." Sakura said, looking more annoyed than scared now.

"Yep, just like Gaara. This isn't going to be easy for anyone." Kabuto said and it annoyed Ayame how he seemed like such a good guy.

There wasn't anything wrong with the guy besides his questionable info cards, but he gave himself a good background story. Ayame hoped to rat him out before the third exam, but she had no proof right now.

_It's not that important. I need to focus more on what I can change right now._

"MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO! I WON'T LOSE TO ANY OF YOU BASTARDS! YOU GOT THAT!" Naruto yelled seemingly out of nowhere.

"Really Naruto?" Ino said and Sakura looked like she was having similar thoughts.

"No one is going to be feeling nervous now." Ayame pointed out.

"Your challenge is very youthful Naruto. I hope we will be able to fight as well during this exam!" Lee said with a thumbs up, stopping Sakura from trying to contain Naruto.

"Eh? Who the hell are you Bushy Brows?"

"I am Konoha's Handsome devil, Rock Lee!"

"What?" Naruto asked again, looking even more confused.

"He's my teammate." Ayame added in, and it looked like a light bulb went off in his head.

"Oh, you have some weird teammates Aya-chan." Naruto said as he looked to Lee then to Neji who was next to her.

"Naruto! You can't just say that!" Sakura yelled just as two Kunai hit the ground.

Ayame didn't move as the sound ninja attacked Kabuto. This was most likely a ploy on Kabuto end to downplay his fighting skills and Ayame couldn't care less.

Lee however had no such thoughts and intercept, catching the sound ninja as he tried to kick Kabuto.

"I'm excited as well, but now is not the time to fight." Lee said moments before his face scrunched up in pain.

Almost immediately Neji activated his byakugan and Ayame finally took her eyes of Kabuto to see which of the sound ninja attacked.

_Bandages. That was the one with the arm speakers right?_

"Kabuto!" Naruto yelled as he ran over to the young man who was pushed away.

"How pathetic, you needed to be saved by this freak. Aren't you a four year veteran? Write this down on your cards. 'Three hidden sound ninja definitely future chūnins.'" The man said before forcing his foot out of Lee's hand.

"Are you alright Lee?" Ayame asked when Lee didn't move.

"I feel nauseous from his attack."

"Genjutsu?" Neji asked, though it didn't seem like he believed that.

Lee only had time to shake his head before there was a huge puff of smoke from the front.

"QUIET DOWN YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOTS."

Standing in the front was now a group of ninja all wearing outfits from T&I, with Ibiki in dead center wearing a badass black trench coat.

"Thanks for waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chūnin selection exam's first test." Ibiki said, and even though a lot of the other ninja were quivering Ayame didn't think the man was that bad.

_I bet he's one of those guys who look tough but around people he trust he's a big softy._

"Hidden Sound guys, stop doing as you please before the exam. Do you want to fail already?" Ibiki asked pointing at them.

"I apologize. This is our first time... we gotten a little carried away." Mummy man said not looking a bit sorry.

"Bah, here's a good opportunity to say this. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?" Ibiki said, slowly stating each word of the last sentence.

_You can almost feel the fear in the room now._

"We will now start the first test in the Chūnin exam. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams." Ibiki explained as his helper started passing them out.

"WHAT? A PAPER EXAM!" Naruto yelled causing everyone to look at him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine." Ayame said since she knows there is no point in telling him to cheat right now.

_Maybe i'll get lucky and get a seat next to him._

* * *

Ayame got a spot near the front of the room and next to Kabuto of all people.

_What the fuck._

"Do not turn your test over. Listen closely to what i'm about to say. There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write it on the board while I explain, but questions will not be answered, so listen carefully." Ibiki said while writing without even looking at the board.

"The first rule: You guys will all start off with 10 points. The test is made up of 10 questions and each one is worth a point, but this test uses a subtraction system. Basically if you answer all the questions correctly, you keep all your points. But, say you miss three questions, you lose three points and will have 7." Ibiki said, even writing the example on the board.

_So it's like the SAT. Only for a Ninja promotion and not for college admission._

"The second rule: This is a team test. Whether you pass or fail will be determined by the combined score of your teammates. So each team will compete to see how many points they can hold on to from the initial team total of 30."

"WAIT A SECOND! I don't understand why there is this initial point system, and why is it a team test?" Sakura asked hardly even bothering to raise her hand.

_Come on Sakura, you can figure it out._ Ayame pleaded since the girl was as smart as her, even with Ayame's head start on life.

"Shut up. You don't have the right to question me. There is a reason for this, be quiet and listen." Ibiki told Sakura as she sat back down.

"Okay, now the most important rule. The third rule: during the exam, anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activity, namely cheating, will have 2 points subtracted for every offense." Ibiki told them.

Just to be safe, Ayame pulled out the seal she made to placed it on her thigh and wrote 'caught cheating' on it before sending some chakra on it. The words only stay for a few seconds, so hopefully Lee decides to look. Ayame is sure Neji has already figure that out, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

"Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobis trying to achieve the level of chūnin, be proud ninja. And the final rule, those that lose all their initial points during the test and those that don't answer any question correctly will fail along with their 2 teammates." Ibiki said, which caused quite the commotion.

Ayame left warmth on her leg and looked down to see someone responded.

'understood' was the only character, but when it faded it followed by another 'Okay'. That was all Ayame needed.

"The exam will last one hour. BEGIN!"

"Good luck." Kabuto said with a smile, but Ayame took a page out of Sasuke's book and just grunted.

Ayame flipped over the exam and took the look at the questions.

_This is less like SAT and more like MCAT._ Ayame thought as she looked over the question.

_The Math question should be no problem, but the decoding? I'm not sure I could even do that, and definitely not in an hour._

Ayame looked discreetly around. She knows that the last question is the only one that matter, but she still wanted to try and get the question all right.

Naruto was freaking out, and even Sasuke looked a little worried.

There was another warm spot and Ayame glance down to see another word was written.

'Target'.

_That was from Neji. Good to know i'm getting a good test run with these things._ Ayame thought before writing Sakura's name when it disappeared.

Taping her pen on her leg a few time, Ayame got started on the questions in order to waste some time.

"Umm." Ayame looked up to see someone next to Sakura was half standing.

"I'd just like to know one thing. How many teams will pass this test?"

"Hehe, it's not like knowing will help you, or do you want to be disqualified?" Ibiki said and the girl sat down very quickly.

Not too long passed before the tag warmed up again, with the answer to two of the questions. Ayame made a note before writing down what she got for the math one and that was how it went for all 9 questions.

After 30 minutes people started getting kicked out for getting caught cheating five time. Ayame thought that five times was very generous, but then again her team was lucky having her and Neji on it with his hack eyes.

_I wonder if I have any marks for cheating. My seal is pretty out there, so I'm not sure even if they notice me writing that they would figure out it was to my teammates._

Ayame was all done by the time puppet boy left for the bathroom, and a quick look around showed that all her friends were too. Even Naruto which was surprising.

_Maybe Hinata convinced him to cheat or came up with a good method to avoid getting caught._

"Ok, now we will begin the 1oth question." Ibiki said, breaking the silence and causing everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Before we get to it, I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." Ibiki said, pausing for dramatic tension and the door opened.

"Heh, nice timing. Was your doll playing beneficial?"

"That sound dirty." Ayame said to herself, only to look sharply at Kabuto at his snort.

"Just sit down. I'll now explain. These are the rules of desperation. First, for this 10th question, you must decide whether you will take it or not." Ibiki said before Temari stood up.

"Choose? What happens if we choose not to?"

"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero, you fail along with your two teammates." Ibiki said and for a brief moment there was chaos as everyone started yelling.

"And now, the other rule." Ibiki said as everyone quieted.

_He sure knows how to play a crowd._

"If you choose to take it, and answer incorrectly, that person will lose the right to take the Chūnin exam again."

"WHAT KIND OF STUPID RULE IS THAT? THERE ARE GUYS HERE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE EXAM BEFORE!" Kiba yelled.

"You guys were unlucky. This year it's my rules. But I am giving you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next year." Ibiki said with a sadistic smile.

"Those who do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

For a moment no one moved. Then when the first person raised his hand it was like a dam broke. That was until Naruto slammed his hand on the table.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME! I WILL NOT RUN! I'll take it! Even if I'm a genin forever I will become Hokage no matter what, so I don't care! I AM NOT AFRAID!" Naruto said before sitting back down.

"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit." Ibiki warned Naruto, and Ayame couldn't help but smile.

"I follow my unbending words, that is my ninja way!"

"You have quite the interesting friend there. That is the second time he got rid of everyone's worries." Kabuto said and once more Ayame ignored him.

"Good decision. Now to everyone still remaining... I CONGRATULATE YOU ON PASSING THE FIRST TEST!"

"Wait, what do you mean we already pass? What about the 10th question!" Sakura asked looking very confused.

"There never was such a thing. Or you could say that those two choices were the 10th question." Ibiki said with a grin.

"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for? They were pointless then!" Temari yelled.

"They were not pointless. They had already served their intended purpose to test your individual information gathering ability." Ibiki said before explaining the real purpose of the test.

Ayame just watched, starting to get a little nervous now that the written test was over.

_How long did it take Orochimaru to decide to go after team 7? Was it in the first day or later?_

"...Because at times, information is more important than life. And on missions and on the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it." Ibiki said as he took his bandana off.

_Okay, that looks way worse than in the anime._

"If the enemy of a third party notices you, there is no guarantee the info will be accurate. I want you to remember this. Important information in your hand can be a powerful weapon for you comrades and for the village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separated those that didn't have the right abilities."

_What would that mean about future knowledge? As much as I would love to tell Kakashi, I know that this village isn't perfect, and that what I know could do more harm than good if the wrong people find out about it._

"HELL YES! WISH US LUCK!" Naruto yelled, pulling Ayame out of her thoughts just in time to see the window explode.

"You guys! This is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go!" Anko said with a bander behind her.

"She is so cool!" Ayame said as she leaned forward, the only one who wasn't shocked.

"78? Ibiki! You left 26 teams? The test was too easy this time!"

"This time there are a lot of outstanding ones." Ibiki explained with a smirk.

"That's fine. I'll at least cut them in half in the second test. Ahh, I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we changed places, follow me!" Anko said before jump through the hole she made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Ayame romance poll, Hinata's still in the lead, with Sakura in second and Neji in third.
> 
> Tell me your thought. What did you like about this chapter? Did it just feel like a repeat of canon (because I was looking at the manga for reference as I wrote this)? Did you think I should have had more build up to the first exam? What do you think Ayame's plan is?
> 
> I hope you have a good day/night!


	20. Forest of DEATH

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayame's plan to fuck over Orochimaru is set in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back to my 2K+ chapter length. On my outline for this story I was going to finish the second exam in this chapter, but there ended up being a lot of stuff I needed to write about. So plot wise, not a lot happens. But the set up is very important for the rest of this arc. Hope you enjoy because next chapter, things are going to get crazy.

 

Ayame rechecked all of her things discretely as Lee wondered out loud what the second exam will be like.

"If the last exam is a fight, and the first exam was about information gathering, then maybe the second exam is about sneaking!"

_This is it. There isn't much I can do against Orochimaru, but Sasuke doesn't deserve that curse mark._  Ayame thought as the forest of death came into view.

"...Or maybe it's a mock b-rank mission!"

"Can't you just wait until we arrive? We all will find out in less than a minute." Neji said, apparently no longer able to take Lee's ramping

Ayame's plan was simple, but she always agreed with the Occam's Razor principle. The simplest solution is usually the best.

_If it worked for Einstein, then maybe it will work for me._

"This is where we are taking the test? But I thought you had to be a Chūnin to even enter training ground 44." Lee asked and Ayame gave a nervous laugh.

"Good way to see if we are ready to be promoted then."

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, practice area 44."Anko said as she body flickered to the front of the mob of kids.

"Also known as... 'the forest of DEATH!'" She said with a evil grin when some of the Genin flinched.

"This is a little creepy." Ayame heard Sakura commented from her left.

_Good. Now I don't need to look for them._

"Don't worry, you'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death." Anko added quickly silencing all the side conversations.

"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death." Naruto mocked along with a chicken dance that reminded Ayame way too much of that stupid Spongebob meme that was floating about before she died.

"If you think that scares me, you got another thing coming. I'm not afraid!"

"Oh?" Anko said with a smile before throwing a Kunai.

Ayame took a step but stopped herself when she saw it only cut Naruto.

_Right. I wrote this part down in my notes. Though the only reason I remembered was because of that Naruto abridged series..._  Ayame thought as the scene unfolded in front of her.

Only a little different than what she vaguely remembered.

"Hey! Let go of him... please?" Sakura asked, switching between her normal strong head self and respect, since she knows that Anko is stronger and is in charge of this part.

Anko didn't even give her a look.

"Kids like you are killed quickly here. Spraying that lovey red all over the place-" Anko said as she licked the blood off Naruto's face, which even Neji made a face at.

However faster then Ayame could keep up with, a man was behind Anko.

Ayame wasn't one to brag, but her team was most likely one of the fastest Genin currently here. When the sound ninja 'attacked' Kabuto, they all noticed. Ayame didn't think the rest of her physical aged Genin noticed until Lee already stopped it.

But Ayame didn't even see the man until the gross long tongue was out wrapped around the Kunai Anko threw moments ago.

"Here's your Kunai." Orochimaru said and Ayame wondered if Anko knew who that was.

_Wasn't she his student? To bad I wouldn't be able to slip one of my seals onto her. She could be useful._

"Why thank you. But you know, you really shouldn't sneak up behind me... unless you want to die." Anko said as she spun the Kunai around her finger.

"Did you guys see him move?" Ayame asked her teammates quietly.

"No. He must have been training a lot." Lee said and Ayame really hoped Lee wouldn't ask Orochimaru to be his rival.

He already counts Neji as a rival, and wants to fight Sakura once she 'finds her ninja way'. Then there is Sasuke...

"No. I just get excited when I see blood. Plus, you cut my precious hair. I couldn't help it." Orochimaru said as his freaky tongue went back in his mouth.

_Is that natural or the result of his snake summons? Or an experiment?_

"Sorry about that. Buuuut, it looks like we have a lot of blood thirsty ones in this test. Heh, this should be fun~" Anko said before finally letting go of Naruto.

Sakura immediately went over to heal the cut, which surprised Ayame because she didn't know Sakura was at the level to use the mystic Palm on humans. Not like it really matter since Naruto was a Jinchūri and has super healing, but Sakura doesn't know that.

"NOW! Before we start the second test, there's something I have to pass out. You must sign these agreement forms. There will be deaths in this one, and if I don't have you sign these it will all be my responsibility." Anko said with a light hearted laugh that seemed to make the others even more nervous then when she was trying to be creepy.

"But first I'm going to explain the second test, then you can sign the forms and each team will check in at that booth behind me." Anko said as she passed the stack off to Naruto, who took one and gave it to Sakura.

"Okay! The second test... to put simply, you will attempt the ultimate survival trial. First I'll explain the area in which it will take place. Around practice arena 44 are 44 locked gates. It is in the middle of a forest with a river cutting through and a tower located in the middle. The distance from the gates to the tower is about 10km (6 miles). Not only do you have to survive, but you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and Jutsu, you will compete in a no rules scroll battle." Anko said holding a hand held scroll in both hands as she took a poise.

"You will fight over these two scrolls, the 'Heaven' and the 'Earth'. 13 teams will get the 'Heaven scroll' and the other 13 will get the 'Earth scroll'. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls." Anko said now holding both scrolls in one hand in front of her face.

_I wonder if she practiced this speech before hand._

"So, 13 teams will have to lose their scrolls. Half of the teams will definitely fail." Sakura told her teammates, more for Naruto's sake.

"But! There is a time limit. This test will only last 120 hours. Exactly five days."

"Five days?!"

"WHAT ABOUT DINNER!"

"You're on your own. The forest if full of food. Just watch out for the man-eating beasts... poisonous insects... poisonous plants... the usual stuff. Also, 13 teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become further. The time to rest will become shorter. The area is crawling with enemies after all, you won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course." Anko said and even Lee was starting to look serious.

"Now, I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First! those that don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Second! Those who lose a teammate or those who have a teammate killed. Third! There is no quitting half way threw. You will be in the forest for five days once you enter the area, no matter what. Fourth! You must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked still acting like Anko was going to jump him at any moment.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does~" Anko said in a singsong before sighing at Naruto's confused look.

"A Chūnin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trust worthiness. Now, that's it for explanations. Exchange the 3 forms for your scroll. Then choose a gate to get ready for the start." Anko said, before adding on like an afterthought, "Oh, here's a final word of advice. Don't die."

"Ayame, do you have a pen?" Neji asked, making the rest of the teams realize they don't have anything to fill out the forms with.

"I got a brush or two." Ayame said, already pulling out one of her sealing kits she brought just in case all her tags were used up or got destroyed.

"So smart! I didn't even think to bring writing utensils. I should have kept the pencils from the test!" Lee said and Ayame could have laugh at how some of the other teams ran to the booth to see if they had any.

Ayame already knew the second exam was a survival challenge and packed for that, but the first part took place in a school. What did they think they were going to do there that could cause so many not to bring pens?

"Hey, Ayame-chan? Would it be okay if we borrowed your brushes for a little bit to fill out our forms?" Sakura said in a pleading tone of voice.

Ayame saw that she had a pen, but Naruto and Sasuke didn't. Naruto made sense, but Sasuke?

_You would think the 'rookie of the year' would plan head._

"Sure thing. I was actually hoping to talk to you guys about this test." Ayame said regardless, ignoring the pointed look Neji was giving her.

Maybe she should have talked to them before hand, but it was too late now.

"Oh, okay then." Sakura said as Naruto grabbed the brush Ayame held out for him and Sasuke glared at Neji and Lee.

"What do you guys think about working together for this exam?"

"WHAT?!" More than one person asked, but Ayame was expecting that.

"After this part is most likely a battle royal that is in every Chunin exam. I would much rather fight people that I know then ones from the other villages. And there is no rule saying we can't work with other teams." Ayame calmly said as she finished filling out her form, handing her brush to Sasuke.

"Having more people could also make ambushing other teams for their scroll easier." Neji added and Ayame gave him a smile.

She expected Lee to go one with her idea, but Neji always seemed to but heads with her if it came to making plans.

"I have been waiting to fight with you seriously Ayame." Sasuke said and Ayame let go of the breath she was holding.

Sasuke's stubbornness was what Ayame was most worried about. But it seems like mentioning the tournament was a good idea.

"How do we know you aren't just going to steal our scroll?" Naruto accused.

"Really Naruto? If I was planing on betraying someone it wouldn't be my friends who know where I live."

"Heh, good point. But what about Bushy Browns and White eyes?" Naruto asked before Sakura smacked the back of his head.

"Naruto! I told you not to do that!"

"Eh? But Sakura!"

"If Ayame-chan thinks it is a good idea to team up, then I also agree!" Lee said with a thumbs up and a smile that had Sakura scooting away from.

"It's a good plan, and I assume Ayame chose your team for a good reason." Neji said giving Ayame a look.

"That's because we are the best team here, believe it!" Naruto said though it only caused Neji to look at Ayame harder.

"Their Sensei is Kakashi." Ayame said with a shrug hoping that would be enough.

"Ah! Gai-sensei's eternal rival!" Lee said and Ayame was willing to bet that he was even more eager to fight them now.

"Rival?" Naruto and Sakura asked at the same time.

_Right. Since we didn't stay around the Genjutsu, Lee and Sasuke never fight and they never met Gai. I hope that doesn't come back to bite me in the ass._

"Yes. Gai-Sensei challenges Kakashi to all kinds of battles. He is currently winning." Lee explained proudly.

"Really?" Sakura asked Ayame, completely ignoring Lee.

"Unfortunately. It is almost like seeing Naruto and Sasuke fight, only they are both adult and Jōnins." Ayame said with a sigh, having witnessed more 'challenges' than her either of her Teammates.

"It's about time to exchange the forms for the scrolls!" On of the ninja's manning the booth said.

"So how are we going to meet up once we get inside? Even if we are working together, I think we still need to start at separate gates." Sakura said as she finished her forms, looking around to all the other Genin teams heading over to the booth.

"You can get your scroll and gate first. I will be able to find your team." Neji said.

"Okay then." Naruto said as he ran of, Sakura and Sasuke following a little reluctantly.

Ayame got up to follow, but was stopped by Neji.

"Do you want to team up with them because of their talents or because they are your friends?"

"I won't lie. I am worried about them, but I still think they will be useful." Ayame said, wanting to tell her teammate more but also knowing that it wouldn't help.

Neji gave a nod and they got in line. The booth was set up so the whole team would enter out of the eyes of the other teams. As long as one of your teammates isn't a Hyūga that is.

"Here." The man said giving them a scroll with the character for Earth on it.

"Neji give me your arm and i'll just seal it there." Ayame said, pulling out some ink.

"Oh, great idea Ayame. Even without the seal, stealing from Neji is very challenging."

"I'm also going to draw a storage seal on you in case anyone recognizes it. But I think Neji should have both. Once we get the other one that is." Ayame said as she finished and sealed the scroll.

It was a good thing she worked with Tenten around the issue of sealing seals. If you used one of the general storage seals, sealing a seal inside of it would destroy the matrix. Which makes both seals explode, with is a very common reaction to failed seals.

The ninja manning the booth didn't say anything as Ayame finished, but that was probably because the storage scrolls warn you not to seal any scroll in it since many have seal to keep it waterproof or locked.

_No one knows that there is a seal that will teleport a ninja to knock your ass out if you are not in the tower. I wonder if it is a time-space seal. Maybe it is based off the flying thunder God. Or it is like a summoning scroll. Is a summon a type of time-space ninjutsu?_

When they got out, Neji turned on his Byakugan and looked around.

"You're friends are over by gate 12, and there is another Konoha team at gate 10 that I saw got a Heaven scroll."

"Hm, you want to try them first?" Ayame asked since she was fine following Neji lead for this part.

There was too many things she needs to worry about. Like not dying, and making sure none of her friends die. Or get Orochimaru's horcruxes hickey.

"You're friends also have a heaven scroll, but I doubt you want to 'betray' them."

"Ah, you know me so well Neji-senpai-kun."Ayame said and she swore she saw one of his veiny eye twitch.

"So gate 11!" Lee yelled.

"Hey Neji, I was wondering something. When you look at the scrolls with your special eyes, can you see inside of it?" Ayame asked after they arrived at the gate.

"Yes." Neji simply said, causing both Ayame and Lee to look at him.

"Wait, really? What does it say?" Ayame asked.

"Were you not listening when we were told not looking is a show of trust?" Neji asked with a rise of his brow.

Though becuase of his headband, it just disappear behind it.

"Yes, but this is just a test. And when I was sealing it up I recognized the presence of another seal. Do you know how hard it if to get information about seals?" Ayame argued, more to waste time than anything.

"You are not going to let this drop are you." Neji said and Ayame just smiled.

"Fine. Give me your paper."

By the time Neji finished copying the seal, they had ten minutes left before the gates opened.

"Is this is? It looks incomplete." Ayame asked as she looked over it.

It did look similar to the dog summoning scroll, but some of the key factors were missing.

"That is what it looks like on the heaven scroll." Neji said, crossing his arms as he turned to the gate.

"Maybe each scroll has a different seal?" Lee offered.

"Well, I can see why they don't want us opening it. This is a basic summoning seal that reacts to the slightest touch." Ayame explained, rolling up the paper to look at later.

There wasn't enough time to ask Neji to copy an earth scroll.

"So if you open it, I bet one of the proctors will come and disqualify you!" Lee said.

" _Everyone!_ " Anko voice came over the speaker.

" _The second exam... begins NOW!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feel free to leave me a review about what you liked or disliked about this chapter, or even the story as a whole. I think once i'm done with this arc I will finally go back and edit this whole story, but this arc will last at least another six chapters.
> 
> I hope you all have a good day/night!


	21. Chūnin Exam Arc: Collections and Summons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day and already there are fights.

"Where to first Neji-senpai-san?" Ayame asked as they jumped through the trees as effortlessly as walking.

"The other Konoha team is heading straight to the river, but if we continue this direction we should run into your friends." Neji said, turning his Byakugan on for only a second in order to preserve his chakra.

Ayame remember making a note in her journal that Naruto and his team most likely was attacked on the first day, but that seemed a lot like story convenience. There was also that whole thing of ninjas hedging into Naruto, so Ayame would hoped there was a few hours in between those events. That would be ridiculous if Orochimaru pulled the same trick that some Rain-nin pulled only moments before.

"Let's meet up with Naruto and everyone first. Then we can talk about our plan." Ayame suggested, looking over to her teammates to see if they agreed.

Ideally, they would get a heaven and earth scroll before nightfall and just booket to the tower. Or just go to the tower ahead of time and set up some traps. Ayame assumes there are proctors there, and the closer they are the better chance Ayame plan has of working.

"That sounds fine." Neji said briefly and silence fell as they ran.

Even without knowing Orochimaru was here, the forest was very creepy. There was too many things for Ayame to be able to pinpoint anything by smell, and all the tree distorted the sounds. Not to mention that they are allowed to kill during this round, and Ayame could only guess how many genin teams would be fine with that.

_I don't know if the other Konoha teams are 'above' that if it means that they will move on._

They must have been running for only 20 minutes when they first heard screams. They didn't stop since it sounded far away, too far for Lee to ask if they could help. That didn't stop Neji from turning his Byakugan on to see what happened.

"Looks like one of the teams ran into a trap filled with Jumping Leeches." Neji said without stopping.

"Ew." Ayame couldn't help but vocalize.

Normal leeches were gross, but the leeches native to Konoha could literally suck you dry in five minutes. At least with the blood loose, Ayame suppose that it wouldn't hurt too much.

"I'm assuming that another team took their scroll?"

"Yes. My cousin's team." Neji said and Ayame nodded.

_That's good Hinata has her scroll already._

After a few more steps Neji motioned them to land, and there stood Sasuke and Sakura who got into a fighting position before noticing who it was.

"Ayame? You scared me! I thought you were an enemy team." Sakura yelled loudly enough that Sasuke gave her a hard look.

"Sorry about that. Where's Naruto?" Ayame asked when she didn't see the blond hanging around.

_Has it already started?_

"He had to go pee." Sasuke said like the whole idea of peeing was a foreign concept to the boy.

"Oh MAN! So much came out... What the Hell are you doing here!" 'Naruto' Yelled pointing at Ayame and her teammates.

Ayame looked to Lee and Neji from the corner of her eyes to see Neji with his Byakugan activated make the sign for 'fake' and Lee took a step back.

"Naruto we already talked about this!" Sakura said stepping forward to confront 'Naruto', only to be interrupted by Sasuke.

As Sasuke pushed 'Naruto', Ayame followed Neji to where the others where. Ayame felt bad about leaving, but she was sure they could handle it.

It was just a rain ninja. Not Orochimaru. And it would making it easier in the long run.

It took a few minutes before Neji signaled them to stop. Below them was the two other Rain ninja setting up traps for food. It seems even though they sent one of their men, they didn't think anyone would try tracking them down.

Konoha was well known for their trackers. They really should have thought this attack through.

"Behold Konoha's Beautiful Beast! I will defeat you and take your scroll for attempting to harm my teammate's friends!" Lee said as he jumped down between the two, one arm already behind his back.

"Wha-" One of the man started to only to get interrupted by Ayame kicking him in the back.

They weren't even trying to hide, yet it seems they took the ninjas by surprise. Which was good because Ayame wanted to subdue them as quickly and effortlessly as possible. She has no idea when Orochimaru will attack, but she needs all her chakra for then. Ayame can't even afford to use Goku's as a last resort since Orochimaru knows how to seal chakra like it was nothing.

Neji didn't join the fighting until a mist filled the area.

 _And here I thought this technique was only for Mist ninja._  Ayame thought humorlessly as she tried her best to sense them.

Ayame turned around when she heard a sound behind her, only to see Neji there with his Byakugan on.

"Their third teammate is coming back, he seems wounded though." Neji told her, and Ayame just then noticed the other two were out.

Lee was over checking for the scroll and Ayame made a face at the damage they did. The two man had their masks cracked and Ayame could see blood seeping through their off white outfits.

_They were strong, but not smart enough to be Chūnin._

"How is their team?" Ayame asked and saw Neji shift his gaze a little.

"They are talking right now. Probably waiting on us." Neji said with a face, no doubt thinking how stupid it is to be talking in the open.

Ayame took a deep breath, letting herself relax a little. Things were going fine. They soon will have another scroll, and hopefully it will be some time before Orochimaru attacks.

* * *

"...What? That's not a codeword, that's like a codeparagraph!" Naruto complained loudly and if Sasuke thought Ayame and her team would have trouble finding them, he would only have to have Naruto talk.

"Sasuke, I got it, but Naruto's right. We shouldn't be waiting our time with something so long. It would be better if it was a question that only one of us will know."

"Ya! Like I could ask you what Ayame's nickname for you is." Naruto said with a snicker.

"Fine, but we are not using that one." Sasuke told them firmly, but Naruto just laughed openly and even Sakura smiled.

Don't get him wrong, Sasuke is happy that Sakura got over her 'fanatic bug' or whatever Ayame called it, but sometimes Sasuke missed when Sakura would always take his side of things.

"Interesting. I didn't think anyone here would be willing to work with another team."

Sasuke got up using one foot and had a Kunai out by the time he was facing the stranger.

"Hey it's you! That freak with the super long tongue!"

Sure enough, that man from before who got excited by blood was standing on top of the pond along with his teammates. A quick look showed that they were from Grass, meaning they wouldn't be anyone too challenging. But there was something about this man...

"Why don't you two keep their friends company. I'll take care of them myself." The man said and the two body flickered away.

Sasuke frowned a little at that, but Ayame should be able to deal with them.

"How long have you been spying on us?" Sasuke asked, wondering if he was hiding went the Rain nin attacked or if he overheard them before they even entered the forest.

"Hehe, don't worry about that. You want my Earth scroll right? Since you guys have the Heaven scroll..."

_How does he know that?_

"Why don't you just hand it over before we bet you up!" Naruto said and Sasuke almost felt like hitting the idiot like Sakura always does.

The man chuckled before raising his scroll up and swallowed it.

"Eh? Why did you do that!" Naruto yelled.

"So we can fight... With our lives on the line." The man said and Sasuke couldn't breathe.

He didn't realize it until later, but the man's killer intent was so pouant that Sasuke saw himself die. It was the worst thing he has ever witness, and Sasuke soon found himself dry heaving on his knees.

Sakura was on the ground shaking with tears in her eyes threatening to fall and Naruto...

"Y-you Think a s-stupid trick like that will scare m-me?!" Naruto yelled despite how shaky his voice was.

"Hehe, you can't even move right now. What do you think you will do?" The man said and Sasuke could hear a condescending smile of him even though his face was still a blank mask.

_Naruto you idiot! Can't you just stay quiet for once in your life!_

Sasuke bit the inside of his lip hard enough that it started bleeding, but he hardly payed attention to that. Naruto was egging on the enemy, Sakura was out of it, and Sasuke was too afraid to move. This man was might be stronger than Zabaza and they were going to die if Sasuke doesn't do something.

Sasuke pulled out a kunai, noticing in the back of his head that his hand was shaking too badly to throw it properly. But he wasn't going to throw it.

"Why don't I get a friend out to play with you?" The man said, pulling up his sleeve slightly to reveal a seal.

"Naruto! Get out of here!" Sasuke yelled just as there was a puff of smoke, and a giant snake appeared.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Naruto yelled, barely getting out of the way as the snake bit down on where he was.

Sasuke stabbed himself in an effort to get his body to move, the pain hardly registering as he grabbed Sakura and ran. The snake was going after Naruto, but he needed to make sure Sakura was in the right mind to help.

If there was a time when Kakashi's lesson of teamwork was needed, now would be it. Ayame was going to be too busy dealing with this man's friends to be help. They would have to use everything to get out of this alive.

"Sasuke-kun are you-" Sakura started to say before he covered her mouth.

They were hiding behind a tree, and Sasuke lost track of the man. They would have to get Naruto then run. The Hyūga on Ayame's team should be able to track them, so they don't have to worry about that. Only getting away.

Sakura pulled his hand away, and Sasuke felt the telltale feeling of her using her medic-jutsu to heal his self-inflicted wound. He wanted to yell at her, tell her that she would be saving her chakra and not wasting it on him, but Sasuke could tell the act was calming her down.

Then she stopped suddenly and Sasuke turned in time to see her throw a kunai at the giant snake that was right by them.

_Damn it!_

The snake easily doge Sakura attack and lunged at Sasuke. Sasuke panicked, realizing it was the same snake that the Man summoned before, and send out a volley of Kunais at the snake with little rhyme or reason.

Enough hit the head, pinning it to the side of the tree.

"W-we need to find Naruto-" Sakura started to say before they noticed the snake was still moving.

_No, something is coming out if it._

Sasuke grabbed more kunai just as the snake explored and a hundred Naruto came popping out.

"NARUTO? What were you doing in there?!" Sakura yelled, and Sasuke let himself relax a little from seeing the orange knucklehead.

"It ate me! So I made it throw up!" One of the Narutos said, looking way too happy considering he was covered in stomach acid.

"You guys shouldn't relax, not even for a moment."

The three kid turned around to see the man standing behind them on a higher branch. A chill went down Sasuke's back at the sight.

"Prey should always be trying their best to run away in the presence of a predator."

"As if we'll run!" Naruto yelled as his mob of clones rushed the man before Sasuke could say anything.

With only a flick of his wrist, a wind appeared between them. Sasuke had to increase the flow of chakra to his feet to keep from sliding off the branch he was on, watching with a grin as all of Naruto's clones were popped and the real Naruto was sent flying into the tree. However Sakura jumped over with speed Sasuke didn't know the pink haired girl had, and was able to catch Naruto in mid air.

 _That must have been at least a c-rank jutsu and he didn't use any seals!_ Sasuke realized as activated his sharingan, a tome spinning around in each eye.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke pulled out the scroll. It was the only bargaining chip they have, and while Naruto and maybe Ayame will be piss, he didn't have a better option.

"If you want the scroll, here it is. Take it and leave." Sasuke said, hoping that he sounded more forceful than what he was feeling.

"Sasuke? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Naruto. We just have to get two scroll instead of one. If we die, we can't." Sasuke heard Sakura say, still not taking his eyes off the man.

"I see. Very smart. The only way for prey to escape a predator is to give the predator a different meal."

Deciding that was as good as an agreement as Sasuke was going to get, he threw the scroll over.

Only for Naruto to intercept it.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke and Sakura both yelled.

"What are you doing? Are you too much of a numskull to understand-" Sasuke started to chew out the boy who landed next to him, only to be interrupted by Naruto punching him.

"NARUTO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Sakura yelled as Sasuke got back up to see Naruto looking furious.

"What is Ayame's nickname for you?" Naruto asked with his hands still in fits.

_Does he honestly think I am a fake?_

"...Duck-butt." Sasuke said quietly because this was stupid but he wasn't going to waste time it Naruto thinks that...

"You can't be Sasuke! There is no way that such a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know!" Naruto yelled before calming down slightly.

"I know this guy is strong, so what guarantee is there that he'll let us leave if he give him the scroll? Aya-chan has told me to never trust strangers, so I think you are the one who is too much of a numskull to understand our situation!"

Sasuke closed his mouth because for once Naruto was making sense. What's to say that the man won't just kill them even after he has their scroll. Sasuke forgot where he was.

"You are correct Naruto-kun. I can just kill you all and take the scroll myself." The man said and Sasuke felt more of that killer intent.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, charging the man before Sasuke had time to grab the idiot.

The man didn't even both moving out of the way, only kicking Naruto at the last moment sending the boy flying threw a branch.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled and Sasuke saw Naruto cough up some blood.

 _We need to get out of here. Before Naruto gets himself killed._  Sasuke thought frantically, but was still unable to come up with a plan.

When Naruto got back up, he looked angrier than Sasuke has ever seen him. Not only that, but when Naruto tried to attack the man again, it seemed like he was stronger?

_What is going on?_

Before Sasuke could use his Sharingan to see what Naruto was doing, the man released another wind based jutsu that had Naruto crashing into the ground. Before Naruto could get back up, the man punched him in the stomach with his fingers. Sasuke could see what ever energy or jutsu Naruto was using drain away with his screams.

_That's enough._

Sasuke pulled out his weapons with the barest idea of a plan in mind. The man threw Naruto who looked to be unconscious now, but Sasuke trust that Sakura would deal with him. She will make sure Naruto doesn't die on them.

The man dodged all his attacks, and even with his sharingan Sasuke could barely keep track of the man. Sasuke aimed for obvious weak point while trying his best to lead the man to get wrapped up in the ninja wire he had.

"Hehe, too bad this wouldn't be enough to keep me contained." The man said and Sasuke responded by making the handsigns for his dragon fire jutsu.

The flames leaped down the chakra induced wire and straight into his face.

_Good. This is our chance to leave._

"To be able to use the sharingan so well at this age; you truly are someone who carries Uchiha blood. Just as I thought... I want you." The man said liked his face wasn't peeling off.

_What is with this guy?_

"I had fun testing your powers. You really are brothers, but I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."

Sasuke frowned despite the wave of killer intent rolling off the man now.

"How do you know Nii-san? He died four years ago!"

"Oh, is that what they told you? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This village is full of liars."

"What are you talking about? Do you know who murdered my clan?"

"I do. My name is Orochimaru, and if you want to know what truly happened then come meet me after you pass this exam. I'll even leave you a gift Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru said, forming a seal moments before his neck started elongating like a snake.

Sasuke was too tired to properly dodge, but even then he didn't think there was much he could have done. Which might have been the reason why Sasuke was having trouble processing the scene in front of him.

One moment Orochimaru's head was rushing at him, and the next a figure was standing in front of him. His sharingan was still on, so he saw what happened, but it didn't make sense.

Ayame moved fast enough to intercept Orochimaru with a kick. Her foot was on fire- no it wasn't fire it was lava. Orochimaru's head retracted back to his body as the rest of his face was pulled off, the lava melting it and catching the tree he stood on aflame.

"Oh shit." Ayame said under her breath and Sasuke couldn't agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the romance poll, once I add in all the review and comments (from Ao3) to it, Hinata is still in the lead, followed by Neji, then Sakura. I think at this point I might just have the top five at lest have a one way romance, so I can experiment with their relationships.
> 
> As always, tell me your thoughts about this chapter or the story as a whole.
> 
> And have a good Day/night!


	22. Chūnin Exam Arc: Dumb Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things all happen at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time with this chapter. But it's done.

"Wait." Neji said not long after they found the scroll and dealt with the last member of the rain team.

"Is something wrong?" Ayame asked not liking the look Neji had.

"There is a team confronting your friends."

_That... doesn't sound good. Did they run into anyone else in the show or is this just a butterfly effect?_

"Wait... You just now noticed them?" Ayame asked, subconsciously increasing her speed.

Neji may have not had his Byakugan on the whole time, but the only way for Neji not to notice a three man team so close to them was if they were suppressing their chakra. Ayame doesn't even know how to do that and only knows that it is possible because of that Sasuke fangirl from Shippuden who had a biting kink or whatever.

"Yes. We should be careful, I doubt they truly genins."

Ayame figured that Neji was probably thinking that whatever Village they were from held them back in order to look more impressive, but Ayame couldn't help but wonder if this was Orochimaru's team.

_But isn't this too soon? I thought there was some time that passed even if that didn't make a whole lot of sense._

Before Ayame could continue exploring that thought, two men stood in front of them. Ayame stopped on a dime by sending chakra to her feet to stick them to the branch she was about to jump off.

"What do we have here? Looks like some easy pickins." One of the men said with a cocky smile.

Neji stopped along side her but Lee kept going, effortlessly moved from his running to a jump kick, sending the man into the ground along with him. Ayame was shock for a moment that Lee would just straight up attack them, until she saw that the man already had a weapon drawn.

Still not wanting to waste her Chakra, Ayame pulled out one of her scrolls just at Neji engaged the other Ninja in combat. Ayame didn't need to worry about hitting Neji or Lee with her kunai since they actually took the time to practice this. The explosions would make things more difficult, but Ayame tweaked the seals so they explode in a cone shape.

Most of the time.

More than 80% of the time.

Still, Ayame draped the scroll in front of her as 53 Kunai sprung out in the distance between her and the enemy. Neji effortless moved away from the ones that were sent his direction and moved back just as half of them exploded. There was less that ended up in Lee's direction, but to Ayame horror he ended up grabbing one out of the air. He went to stab the ninja just as it exploded, getting the ninja in point black range and by pure luck Lee only got some heat in his face.

Ayame was about to grab another scroll, one had less explosives, when there was a loud noise not too far from them.

"Their third teammate just summoned a giant snake. It ate Naruto." Neji told them as his opponent griped his arm in pain.

"Shit." Ayame said looking back in the direction they came from.

It was happening much faster than she thought, but Ayame placed a hand on the inside of her kunai pouch where she prepared one of her communication seals earlier. It was the prototype that was a one time use, but was permanent. She was probably putting too much hope on Kakashi that he would be too lazy to remove the five seals she tagged him with yesterday. However Ayame didn't tell Kakashi the the seals she would be using with her team were different, and Ayame hoped he would be curious enough to overhear their conversations.

It was a long shot, but all she needed to do was put presser on Orochimaru. To buy team 7 some time.

"Ayame! You go help your friends. Neji and I are more than enough for these two!" Lee said, and Ayame had to admit the two grass nin were looking bad.

 _That's what they get for underestimating us._  Ayame thought emotionally, but still didn't like the idea of leaving them.

_But what good is a team if you can't trust them to take care of themselves._

Ayame didn't say anything. Instead she disabled the gravity seal Ayame started wearing and ran.

* * *

 

Kakashi was bored.

Very bored. So much so that even reading Icha Icha wasn't enough.

He was with all the other Jounin sensei as they waited for their students to finish the second exam. For some reason, Kakashi thought that they would actually be able to watch. Minato seemed to know exactly what Kakashi did back when he took the Chūnin exam, so Kakashi assumed it was because he was watching. Now that this was the first time Kakashi as seen the Chūnin exams from the other side he knows the truth.

It was the most boring thing Kakashi ever had to do.

"...I Bet My Team Have Already Received Their Second Scroll!"

"That doesn't mean they will be the first to the tower. My team have the skills to find the scroll and to avoid getting into unnecessary fight."

"Teams that have a Hyūga on them do have quite the advantage in this test."

To make it even worst, Kakashi's friends were the only ones talking. Everyone else were silently reading or playing games. Or just staring off into space which was what Kakashi found himself doing. He knew like every Chūnin exam they were on yellow alert, but does Kakashi really need to be here?

Honestly, Kakashi is still wondering if even taking a team was a good idea. Not that he had much choice in the matter, but Kakashi could have came up with a reason for why they failed. All three of them were missing key factors when it came to being a ninja, but Kakashi naively thought that he would teach them. He has been helping Ayame for a few years and she was able graduate early after only a week preparation. Like a fool, Kakashi assumed since they were friends with Ayame, the same teaching method would work of them. He assumed he could just give them the basics and wait them to ask for more.

Ayame had no problem learning from a scroll. In fact, it shocked Kakashi when she was not only able to understand the notes Minato made for Kakashi, but able to use them to make her own seals. Minato spent years teaching Kakashi the art of sealing, and while Kakashi can copy seals he never got to the level of modifying or creating new ones. It frustrated young Kakashi to no end, even though Rin and Obito were even worst. Minato said there was a certain amount of creativity needed to invent seals, and Kushina said it was about motivation. Whatever it was, Kakashi didn't have it and for the first time in his life there was something he could only do average in.

Which was why Kakashi didn't know what to do when Ayame wanted his help in making a seal for her teammate. Hearing her talk was a lot like when Kakashi was forced to stay for dinner with Minato and Kushina, where Kakashi felt like he should say something but just ended up getting lost in the whirlwind of the conversation. It was also the only time Naruto would act like Minato, only he would be talking about pranks and not seals.

 _Maybe I should see if Naruto would be interested in that_. Kakashi wondered just as he felt something warm up in his packet.

Kakashi already knew exactly what it was, though he was surprised it took so long for Ayame to use it. It would have made more sense to use the seal during the first part, but their team passed regardless.

That was when Kakashi read the seal as saw the four characters.

大蛇丸森

Orochimaru Forest.

* * *

 

Neji knew something was wrong. Being able to hide your chakra is an ability some jounin have a hard time with. Having a genin team where all the member are able to do it should be impossible, even when Neji includes the fact they are from a different village. Snake summons are even more rare. Neji was pretty sure the last person to have the summoners scroll was the traitor Orochimaru, but there could be others.

Could be people who have been trained by Orochimaru to infiltrate Konoha. It has been more than a decade since the man was exiled, and from what he had overheard his uncle say, they didn't think Orochimaru was doing nothing during that time. Would the Sennin be willing to spy on the village under the guise of a genin team? Is he just overthinking this?

Neji didn't know for sure, but he did not like the fact Ayame left to go help. If this was a normal mission, this would be the point where they sent a flair or message for another team. But Neji packed no such thing. The only thing he had besides some basic overnight supplies is the two scrolls.

_A scroll that Ayame said is a summons._

Neji doesn't have any proof that something is wrong. Only some abilities that don't match what Neji is use to. But Neji also had a gut feeling that his teammate is doing something stupid, and sometime that is all you need.

"Neji? What are you doing?"

Neji opened the scroll, and threw it onto the ground, fully ready to have to fight if need be.

The fact that an ANBU squad come out and left without even looking at them told Neji that the situation was much worse than he previously thought.

"We need to get to Ayame. Now."

* * *

 

"Oh Shit." Ayame swore under her breath, watching as Orochimaru flug his fake face to the side, catching the tree branch on fire.

_This is bad, this is really bad._

Ayame didn't think she would be literally standing in front of the Snake Sannin. That wasn't the plan. It was just to delay until someone more capable came. Ayame even prepared a chakra limiter based off the ones they use for prisoners to place on Sasuke in case he got the Cure mark if she was too late. Ayame didn't think she would arrive at the exact moment, and was lucky enough to hit Orochimaru. Ayame didn't even know where the Lava come from! All she did was channeled more chakra to her foot in hopes it would do more damage if she hit him.

Ayame didn't think it would actually connect.

_I could die. I could die again and only at 12? What the hell! Why did I think this was a good idea? I didn't have to a ninja, I could have let the 'plot' just play out. They had a happy ending right? Naruto because Hokage and had kids or something. I didn't need to do this. I could have done something different so I'm not staring this snake freak down!_

Ayame watched as Orochimaru opened his mouth, but Ayame wasn't going to stick around and listen to him monologue. Without turning around, Ayame grabbed Sasuke, pulling him onto her back, and performed three body flickers in rapid fire just to as far away as she could. She didn't think she could outrun Orochimaru, nor get close enough to the tower to see if anyone there could help.

_But what else can I do?_

As she ran, Ayame did make the sign for two earth clone, and sent them back to get Naruto and Sakura. Ideally, Orochimaru would just try to get Sasuke and ignore them, but Ayame doesn't know how likely that is.

_I'm already betting that his plans for the invasion is more important than preparing Sasuke to be his next vessel, but is that really the case?_

"Ayame? What are you doing?"

"That's a good question." Ayame said more to herself.

She dodged and weaved her way through the forest, hoping that might give her an edge, or make the chase last a moment longer. It was weird that there was no animals around, but Ayame figured that a giant snake appearing out of nowhere is not something anyone would like to stick around for.

"Ayame? I don't think he's following." Sasuke said after what felt like hours, and Ayame stopped.

She allowed Sasuke to slid off her back as she calmed her breath and really looked around. Contrary to popular belief, adrenaline isn't good for a fight. And that's mainly what Ayame has been using.

There was nothing. It was quiet and Ayame could hear Sasuke's ragged breathing. Ayame was forcing herself not to hold her breath, and was wishing she asked Kakashi more about how to hide your scent. Stealth was something Ayame didn't think she would need, but here she was trying to run away from an enemy so much out of her league it wasn't even funny.

"We need to go back. I'm not going to leave Sakura and Naruto alone." Sasuke said, gratefully keeping his voice down even though Ayame could tell he was worried.

"I know. That's why I sent some clones." Ayame said barely above a whisper.

_Did Orochimaru give up? Did Kakashi get my message already?_

Then must have been 5km in by now, but Ayame has no idea how fast a jounin or ANBU could cover that distance. In her past life, she had a friend who ran a 10km in 30 minutes, but that was normal life.

_I know we covered this in class, but I can't remember that for shit right now._

There was the sound of ruffling leaves and they both turned sharply, Sasuke already letting a Kunai fly by the time Ayame was graped a scroll.

"Don't worry, It's just us." Lee said with Naruto passed out on his back.

"You could be a ninja under a hedge." Sasuke said and gave Ayame a look.

"Ah you're right! Ask me any question Ayame-chan! I will prove to you I am the one and on Rock Lee!"

"Okay... What's your dream Lee-kun?"

"To show everyone that I can because a ninja even without genjutsu or ninjutsu!" Lee said just as Neji arrived and Ayame could see Sakura struggling to keep up behind them.

"What? Is that a joke?" Sasuke asked, but Ayame interrupted before any arguments could begin.

"Do you know what happened? Where's Orochimaru?" Ayame said, looking to Neji who still had his Byakugan.

_Has it been on this whole time?_

"An ANBU squad arrived that engaged with the enemy. Lee and I arrived and got Naruto and Sakura out while your clone stayed back. "

"Really? That's... good." Ayame said, not really expecting that.

_Guess my plan worked after all. Even with the close call._

"We should set up camp. I don't know about your team, but we're tired and something's wrong with Naruto." Sakura said sounding out of breath.

"Neji? See any caves or dugout some of us could sleep in? We could have two people on watch at a time." Ayame suggested, still looking around as if there was going to be a snake behind them or something.

"There is one not too far from here." Neji said as he finally deactivated his eyes.

"Sounds good!" Lee said with a fist bump, acting like there wasn't a boy on his back.

"Want me to carry you there?" Ayame asked as the others started to leave since Sasuke probably used the most chakra out of all of them.

"No. I can walk." Sasuke said, acting like Ayame just asked for the rest of his tomatoes.

"Suit yourself." Ayame said with a shrug, and they followed Neji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Romance poll update: Hinata still in first, followed by Neji, then close behind is Sakura. Itachi's now in forth and Sasuke has fallen to fifth. I decided to work on the top five relationships with Ayame, and close the poll once I am done with the Hokage arc. Until then you can vote for three on my profile or leave a review.


	23. Chūnin Exam Arc: 24 hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 24 hours to the tower isn't a new record, but it isn't last.

The sun was setting by the time that they finished set up camp, with Ayame and Sakura on first watch. Ayame packed more than enough food and water for everyone for five days (with heavily rations), but Neji suggested saving the food. It was better to get food when they can, and Sakura agreed. Ayame ended up hunted with Lee for a few hours, and after they ate, Sasuke was the first to fall asleep.

Ayame wouldn't be surprised to find out the boy had a mild case of chakra exhaustion, not that Ayame knew what that was like. Sakura left to check on Naruto again, and after telling Lee and Neji that she was fine, Ayame followed in order to get read for the night watch.

"Naruto seems to be fine, but he still hasn't woken up and... there was a seal on his stomach?" Sakura told Ayame as she walked over to get the pink haired girl.

Ayame frowned slightly as Sakura lifted Naruto's shirt to show her. The only time Ayame has seen her own seal was when she was first learning to use chakra. It has to due with the fact that unlike normal seals, ones done on living things will use their own chakra systems to sustain it. Meaning that the ink will fade if there isn't a influx of chakra in that area.

Looking at Naruto, Ayame could see the seal for the nine tail, but on top of that was another seal. A five point chakra suppressor, a more advanced version of the one Ayame has in her pack.

"He'll be fine. That's a chakra suppressor. I'm going to assume Orochimaru put this on him during the fight?"Ayame said as she kneeled down next to Sakura.

"Yes, Naruto was using this crazy jutsu and O-Orochimaru... I thought he just punched Naruto."

"He did this just using Chakra? What am I saying, of course he did. This is a sannin we are talking about." Ayame complained.

_I really should figure out how to do that. It's like going paper-free._

"Then can you remove it?"

"In theory, but..." Ayame trained off, looking at Naruto.

_The seal Orochimaru placed is suppressing the tail beast's chakra, not Naruto's. I didn't even know you could do that._

"It would be better to wait for someone with more experience to remove it. I rather not accidentally explode him." Ayame said with a small smile, though Sakura was still looking nervously at Naruto.

"Come on, we should start our watch or my paranoid teammate will never get some rest." Ayame said as she stood up, giving Sakura a hand up.

Sakura checked over the area-based genjutsu she place around the cave. It was one they only spent a week on in the academy, and anyone looking for it could dispel it easily, but it was better than nothing. And having a safety blanket like that will make the other sleep better.

Hopefully.

And if not, then the booby-traps Ayame was helping Sakura set up would.

Sakura was abnormally quiet as they waited. She chose to sit closer to the campsite while Ayame camped out above in the trees. Ayame didn't think that had to worry about a team ambushing them. No one was injured, and it would be suicidal to attack such a large group. There is that sound team that attack Sakura in the show, but now that Sasuke doesn't even have the curse mark, Ayame wasn't sure if that will still happen. Not to mention Ayame was pretty sure they are further then where that Sakura took Sasuke and Naruto.

_There is still a lot of other teams out there._  Ayame reminded herself.

The night was fairly quiet. Ayame could hear some animals about, but none that got close enough that Ayame was worried. Ayame saw a tiger at one point, which was pretty cool, but beside that it was a uneventful watch.

When the moon was directly overhead, Ayame jumped down and went to get Sakura to let her know it was time to switch. Sasuke wanted to be next, but Ayame thought it would be better to have Neji and Lee. Sleep was the best way to restore Chakra.

"Hey Sakura, ready to get some shut eye?" Ayame asked, keeping her voice down just because it was so quiet out.

"I guess." Sakura said, not making a move to get up.

Ayame sighed as she thought what she should do. Obviously there was something bothering Sakura, but now wasn't the best time to have a deep conversation.

_Then again this is only the first day. We have four more days to get another scroll and get to the Tower. Then the prelims... maybe it is better to do this now._

"What's wrong?" Ayame asked as she squatted next to Sakura, all without looking away from the pink haired girl.

"Nothing. I was just thinking... about what happening today. I thought I was done being scared and useless, but then Sasuke had to save me, and you come out of nowhere... how did you even do that?" Sakura asked, and Ayame could tell she was trying to change the subject, but she could give her this.

"Neji noticed you guys were under attack, and remember that gravity seal? I've been wearing that instead of weights for a few months now. Deactivating the seal gave me the extra speed that I needed."

"No, I was talk about the lava kick. I didn't even see you make a seal for that." Sakura asked, looking like this was just another puzzle for her to solve.

"Oh, that. It was kinda an accident? I was trying to send chakra to my feet so I could do more damage but-"

"What? Are you telling me that you were trying to use chakra to enhance your strength? Like what Tsunade-sama is famous for?"

"I guess? I wasn't really thinking-" Ayame started to explain before she was smacked in the back of the head.

"Oww, what was that for?"

"For being an idiot! Do you know now dangerous that is? You could have completely fried you chakra coil! I bet the only reason why are able to walk right now is because you changed it to an element type before that happened. Why would you do something that reckless!" Sakura yelled, and Ayame was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

"Sakura, I will agree that was stupid, but I would have done it again. I couldn't just wait and see what would happen, I didn't want to see anyone of you guys get hurt." Ayame said calmly, watching as Sakura tried to stop the tears that were falling.

"I know. I'm just... it shouldn't have gotten that bad. I should have done something, but..."

"Hey, hey, don't blame yourself. I've been doing this for over a year, and there is a good reason why rookie are rarely in Chūnin exams. And that is even when there isn't a rouge ninja running about. You'll get there Sakura. I know you will." Ayame said as she hugged the girl, only slightly aware how her shirt was getting wet.

Ayame awkwardly patted Sakura's back as she calmed herself, keeping an eye on their surrounding because being attacked right now would be awful. But it was still quite besides Sakura's occasional hicks and sniffled. Normal woodland quite where you can hear crickets and frogs making their mating calls. It was almost peaceful, if you forget the fact there was man eating animals and ninjas with permission to kill all about the place.

"Sorry." Sakura said at one point, not moving to get out of her hug but tilting her head up to look at Ayame.

Ayame was starting to lose feeling in her foot from the position, but gave a smile nevertheless.

"It's fine. I know there's a rule against crying, but it's good to cry. It releases the buildup of chemicals in your brain."

"Ha, if you say so." Sakura said still smiling, eyes a little red and puffy but otherwise fine.

"Ayame? Can I ask you something?" Sakura asked after a moment, just as Ayame was wondering if they should wake the next two up.

"Hit me."

"Can you cut my hair?"

"Ah, what?" Ayame asked, squinting her eyes in confusion.

"Remember when we talk about all the famous ninja with long hair? And you mentioned it was because they earned it? Well, until I can be strong enough to protect myself and my team I'm going to keep it short." Sakura said with a determined look in her eye.

"Are you sure? I mean, I like that idea, but i'm not a haircutter. You could just pull her hair back until we get out..."

"No, I've made my decision. I want you to do this now." Sakura said with a sollum looking smile.

"Fine. I have some scissors in one of my storage seals. Let's wake Lee and Neji up and I'll do it before we sleep."

"Thank you." Sakura said and Ayame petted her on the head like a dog as she stood up.

* * *

"What do you mean we only have one scroll?" Ayame asked, thinking she misheard Neji.

"I opened the one we got from the Rain ninja. That was how the ANBU squad arrived." Neji said as he deactivated his Byakugan.

"THERE'S ANBU IN THE SCROLLS!" Naruto yelled, way to animated considering he woke up five minutes ago.

Just enough time to comment on Sakura's new hairdo before Neji told them it was time to get moving.

"It's a summoning scroll." Ayame told Naruto, before turning back to Neji. "So we still need a heaven and earth scroll, back to square one."

"Don't worry Ayame-chan! It is still early in the morning, and I bet we will have both scroll before noon or I will run around this place five time!" Lee told them all, and Ayame laughed from team 7's shocked expresion.

"Let's make sure we get them then. Neji? How should we break this up? I'm assuming you been watching them enough to get some base idea of their skills." Ayame asked while Neji finally turned to the group instead of talking with his back to them.

"The Suna team nearby looks to be your classic sabotage team. They have set some traps around their base and just split up looking for food. Their leader, a tall girl with brown hair pulled back into three buns is holding a scroll, Heaven.

"The other team nearby has an Earth scroll on the back of a boy wearing a bandana style hitai-ate from Kusa, but I have only spotted two members. I do think from their movements this morning, their last member is lost or died." Neji summarized for them.

"We should probably deal with the sabotage team. Speed is a big weakness for traps and we have plenty of that. Are you guys good for the other one?" Ayame asked, looking at Sakura since she is the most realistic on their team.

"If it is only those two. I have a flash bomb I could use if we get in trouble, but I don't want to alert our position to others..."

"We'll be fine Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, and a least Sakura smiled a little.

"Good. Let's meet back in an hour?" Ayame asked as the others nodded in agreement.

When they got close to where the Suna team were eating, Ayame formed two earth clones and placed explotion tags on them.

"What? I think this would be a fun way to set off the traps." Ayame said in defense when Neji staried at her unblinking.

"Then we can jump in during the confusion!" Lee added happily and Ayame smirked at Neji growing frustration.

"Let's just get this over with."

Without any addition comments on Ayame's part, her two clones speed ahead and dashed into the clearing, setting off every trap that Neji noticed as they were arriving. When the first one exploded, the Suna team spread out, finally figuring out it was a diversion. Only for the three of them to interrupt and get into a one on one close range fight that ended disappointedly fast.

"I was hoping they would have put up more of a fight." Lee said with a frown as he moved the knocked out teammates near their base.

"It is common for teams who specialize in one area to lack the others. That is one of the reason why Konoha focus more on balance teams." Neji explained, effortlessly caching the scroll Ayame tossed him.

"Now what? Should be just get to the tower asap after meeting up with the others?" Ayame asked, looking through the trees to see the sun was still low in the sky.

Couldn't be past 9.

"That would be wise. The closer we get to the tower the more chance we'll have to run into others. Hopefully having a group will deter others." Neji said as they took off again.

They ended up have to wait almost an hour for team 7. Ayame asking 'Neji-senpai-sama' to check on them every so often.

"They are coming back, so stop asking. In fact, both of you be quiet until the others arrive." Neji demanded, the closing to snapping Ayame has ever seen him.

_I forget he is only 13. This is stressful, no matter how well he hides it._  Ayame realized, slightly ashamed of how childish she has been acting.

"CHECK IT OUT!" Naruto yelled as he jumped down from the trees to where they were waiting, holding up a scroll.

Naruto's jumpsuit was a little more dirty than when he left, but when Sasuke and Sakura arrived looking spotless, Ayame relaxed.

"Let's go." Neji said as he stood up and took off, leaving Ayame to shrug apologetically at her friends before following.

"So, how did it go?" Ayame asked when Sasuke caught up to her.

"Fine. A bear killed their teammate, so after Naruto kill it they gave us their scroll."

"A bear? Out of all the animals here, that is one of the more normal ones." Ayame thought out loud, thinking back to her past when her mom and brother were attacked by a mama bear. And got away unscratched.

"She clearly wasn't ready for this exam. Her teammates didn't even seem to care that she died until I pointed out that meant that they couldn't move on." Sasuke said, clearly disgusted by that.

"I don't think other villages care about team bonding, but that is still sad. Hopefully she had parents or friends who will care that she died." Ayame said as the conversation fell into silence.

They were running in a diamond formation, Neji in the front, followed by Lee and Sakura (who didn't seem happy about this placement) and Naruto in the back. The back is normally the most dangerous location, but Ayame really didn't think anyone would try attacking them. The first day when everyone was fresh and nervous to prove themselves, maybe. But those same teams would now be realizing this is long term and be looking for food. The teams they would have to worry about would be picking those people off, not a group like them what would be a challenge just from numbers. It makes Ayame wonder why others teams don't try to team up.

Good news was they were at the tower before the sun was at its apex. There was doors all around the base, each with a seal for gate that would break if you open the door.

Two doors were already used.

"Looks like this is where we have to split up." Ayame said as she looked at the seal.

Unfortunately it wasn't a complete seal. There was mostly a key somewhere and this was a one character one.

"You think there is a puzzle we'll have to solve to get into the Tower?" Sakura asked and Ayame shrugged.

Without a word, Sasuke and Neji left like the emo boys they are to go wait at their respective doors.

"I get it. See you guys inside!" Ayame said as she walked over, Neji waiting a moment before pushing the door in.

It looked similar to any gym in the Academy, only with a large poster on the wall in front of them.

"Without Heaven... Without Earth." Lee mumbled as Neji unsealed both scrolls.

"We have to open the two scroll. Remember what Ayame said yesterday about them looking incomplete."

"Oh! So we aren't going to get ANBU popping out again?"

"I think that was situation based. I send Kakashi a message about Orochimaru, and well..." Ayame said, trailing off as Neji handed one of the scrolls to her.

With a look, they opened the scrolls at the same time before tossing them away. With a tornado of smoke, a teacher Ayame only saw when she took her graduation exam was there.

"Takuma-senpai?" Neji and Lee asked, though in vastly different tones.

As in Neji sounded happy, and Lee sounded disappointed. It was so out of character that Ayame missed most of what the teacher said.

"'If lacking heaven, seek wisdom. Be prepared. If lacking Earth, run in the fields. Seek advantages. With both Heaven and Earth, danger becomes safety. These are the principles that guide a human.' I think you are ready." The teacher said, though he only looked to Neji.

_Oh, that's the issue. He's one of those teachers that only cares about clan kids._  Ayame realized, frowning at the man once he disappeared.

"And how we have to wait. At least there might be beds to sleep in." Ayame commented as they left, climbing the stairs up.

"We may have to share living spaces with the other teams. Don't get too comfortable." Neji reminded them.

"I wasn't going to, but everyone here already passed. We just have to wait for the others before this part officially ends." Ayame said just as they walked into a large room with two teams not looking at each other.

"Ew, You made it?" Kiba said, causing the Sand sibling to look at them.

Not the kind of attention Ayame wants. Ever.

"Of course. I was more worried about you rookies." Ayame casually said as she walked over, staying clear of the others.

"I'm pretty sure I'm older than you. In fact Hinata is the only one who is younger!" Kiba pointed out as Akamaru yipped at seeing Ayame before whimpering and hiding in Kiba's jacket again.

"What's wrong with him?" Ayame asked, actually concerned for the dog.

"Nothing." Kiba said just as Hinata motioned her to get closer.

"W-We ran into the other team killing someone. Akamaru really doesn't like the red haired boy." Hinata whispered into her ear, angled so no one could try reading her lips.

"Ah, okay." Ayame said, not to surprised.

Dogs always are a good judge of character. Not to mention they can 'smell' the tail beast. Or at least that's what Ayame assumes when Kuma told her she "smelled like a monkey but not smell-smell".

"How did the test do for you guys?" Ayame asked as she sat at the table, motioning Lee and Neji to come over and be social.

There was no way Ayame was going to spend three and a half days in complete silence. And at the very least Hinata looks happier now.

"WHAT?! THERE ARE ALREADY PEOPLE HERE?" Naruto yelled.

Hinata hit her knee on the table in shock, Sakura whacked Naruto in the head for being too loud, and Gaara was giving Sasuke a stare down.

_Great._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a lot of changes in the romance poll after last chapter. Hinata's still in the lead, but now Gaara is in second! I think in the early chapter he was in the top five, but he jumped way up in the polls. After him Neji and Itachi are tied for third, with Sakura in fourth and Shikamaru in fifth. I do want Ayame to form a friendship with Shikamaru since he is my favorite boy, but there hasn't been a good time yet.
> 
> The poll starts from my fanfic profile (calcu22), but I do add comments from here to it so it doesn't really matter. I know I use to be shy about comments which is why I set up that poll, but I realized how that writer love any response to their work. 
> 
> Well, probably not hate, but I never understood that. I would close out before taking the time to write something angry. But that is just me.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a nice day/night!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is being cross posted over on Fanfic.net under calcu22. www.fanfiction.net/s/12159594/1/Sun-Wukong  
> There is also a romance poll on that profile. 
> 
> Do you like the english or Japanese name for Guy/Gai? https://strawpoll.com/8gzzxb8


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